Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker; I appreciate that. And I appreciate the question from the member for Moreton. I know he is a proud Queenslander and a strong environmentalist, and he would be delighted, as we all are, to hear that overnight UNESCO has agreed that they will not recommend an in-danger listing for the Great Barrier Reef. That of course is a relief for the 64,000 people who rely on the reef for their jobs, for all Queenslanders and for all Australians, because the reef of course is a very special place for all Australians.

The fact is, though, that the World Heritage listing of the reef means that this place is special not just for Australians; it is globally significant. And the fact that before the election UNESCO was proposing to list the reef as in danger and that since the election they have changed their mind and recognised the work that our government is doing to protect the reef is also globally significant.

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