Gai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Cyber Security and Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We are incredibly blessed in Australia to have such incredible natural beauty spread right across the country, from northern Western Australia to southern Western Australia, right around to southern South Australia and Tasmania. Here in the ACT we have the beautiful Brindabellas, and of course, there are the Alps and Kosciuszko. It is a country of great natural beauty, and the Great Barrier Reef is one of those standout elements of our nation and our environment here.

For aeons, the First Australians have shared an intrinsic link with the land, its flora and its fauna. Today, we continue to share that connection with our natural environment. Every year, Australia's natural environment is shared with millions and millions of tourists. The Great Barrier Reef alone attracts two million visitors each year, supports 64,000 jobs and generates more than $6 billion in tourism each year.

As well as supporting tens of thousands of jobs, the reef supports an incredibly rich and diverse ecosystem. Anyone who has had the privilege and honour of snorkelling or scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef will vouch for the fact that it is absolutely extraordinary. We are so blessed to have it in our nation; it is a wonderful natural environment. It is quite phenomenal when you do snorkel there, just seeing the diversity of the landscape that is under the sea—all the amazing fish and creatures, and this whole world that is just there, unseen by so many, unfortunately. And yet for those who do have the privilege, their eyes are just wide open about the wonder that is the world of the Great Barrier Reef.

Now, as we know, the Great Barrier Reef stretches 2,300 kilometres, and is the world's largest living structure—one of the seven natural wonders of the world. It has 600 types of soft and hard corals, more than 100 species of jellyfish, 3,000 varieties of molluscs, 500 species of worms, more than 1,500 types of fish and 133 varieties of sharks and rays, and more than 30 species of whales and dolphins call the Great Barrier Reef home.

Sadly, this incredibly ecosystem and other marine environments around Australia are under threat. They're under threat from inaction by those opposite on climate change. We've heard about the bleaching of the corals and how it's getting worse and not better. It looked as if it were on hold for a while there, but it's getting worse—it's spreading. My great fear, as someone who has had the honour and privilege of being up at the Great Barrier Reef and seeing the diversity of the colour and the fish, is of going back there and comparing it to when I was there a few years ago—seeing the damage that has been wrought by climate change and by the bleaching of the corals, and also the diminution of the fish and other sea creatures.

A joint budget submission from the World Wildlife Foundation and the Australian Conservation Foundation identified that $475 million a year will need to be invested in the reef on an ongoing basis in order to meet the water quality improvements promised to the international community. So, yes, the $500 million at the centre of this motion would normally be welcome. But, like so much of this government's inability to actually administer this country and effectively implement policy without one debacle after another, the $500 million that is mentioned in this motion is now the subject of controversy and under a cloud because of how the money was allocated by the Prime Minister and his minister. That is now the centre of attention. I bet that the member for Capricornia did not expect her congratulatory motion on the government's $500 million commitment for the Great Barrier Reef would turn a complete 180 degrees within the space of a couple of months. Again, this underscores the incompetence of this government when it comes to governing this country and when it comes to accountability, transparency and effective public administration. It's an absolute disgrace. (Time expired)

Cathy O'Toole (Herbert, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I stand here proudly as the member whose electorate is at the front door of the Great Barrier Reef. The jobs and the tourism that one of the wonders of the world, the Great Barrier Reef, provides to my community clearly demonstrate that there is no other entity that creates such a diverse range of economies whilst at the same time being so incredibly spectacular. So I must stand in this place to fight to protect the Great Barrier Reef from the Turnbull government.

I note the first sentence in the member for Capricornia's motion says that:

… the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef is the planet’s greatest living wonder …

This begs the question: why then are the member and her government determined to undermine and kill this great natural resource? The Turnbull government is responsible for the largest removal of heritage listings in the entire world, which is happening to our Great Barrier Reef. This government is responsible for removing and unwinding protections for the Great Barrier Reef, which is putting at risk more than 70,000 jobs and billions of dollars that flow into North Queensland's economy. Labor is the party that protects the reef and Labor will always be the party that fights for the reef.

On top of removing vital protections, the Turnbull government has also given almost half a billion dollars to an organisation without any tender process, without knowing how many staff work at the organisation and without the organisation even asking for the funds. In Senate estimates, the Department of the Environment and Energy could not explain how or why $444 million was being allocated to one organisation, the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. The budget for the Great Barrier Reef Foundation will be increased by 45 times. Their revenue for 2015 and 2016 was $9.6 million and $8 million respectively. The foundation has only six full-time members and five part-time members. Its CEO described the grant as like 'winning the lotto'. Grant recipients should not describe receiving almost half a billion dollars of taxpayers' money as 'winning the lotto'. It begs the question: how will they manage such a huge influx in funding?

On top of that, the Turnbull government is proposing to give the funding in one payment. This brings a whole new meaning to 'fish out of water'. Granting $444 million in taxpayer dollars without a public grant process, an open and transparent process, a competitive process or consideration as to whether the authority could actually carry out this work just shows how arrogant and out of touch this government really is. I think everyone can agree that something certainly smells fishy. Instead of giving $444 million to one of Townsville's own local departments—such as the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, CSIRO at James Cook University, AIMS or the environment department—the government gave it to a small foundation, with absolutely no consultation. There was an opportunity to create much-needed jobs in Townsville, but, instead, Malcolm Turnbull has given the funds to his big business mates. Last week, on the ABC program 7.30, the Prime Minister was unable to point to any policy or probity behind his decision to award almost half a billion dollars of taxpayers' money to a foundation with six full-time staff.

Responsibility for this cash splash lies squarely with the Prime Minister. It has been a careless use of taxpayers' money. There are massive holes in the contract and secrecy provisions that are in perpetuity. The government has already transferred all of the $444 million to the foundation, and the public funds are now sitting in term deposits in banks associated with the foundation. Will we ever know how some of that money is spent? The members who run the private foundation include executives from the major banks and mining companies, which means that the CSIRO and GBRMPA will need permission from the banks and miners to seek extra funding.

The future of the reef should not be determined behind closed doors by the Prime Minister's big business mates. That is why Labor has called on the federal government to renege on the $440 million grant to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. Labor launched a petition calling on the Prime Minister to secure the return of the $444 million of public money he gifted to this small private organisation. I encourage everyone to go to Labor's website and sign the petition. I want to see a transparent and accountable process implemented in order to protect the Great Barrier Reef. This is about protecting one of the greatest natural wonders of the world and, more importantly, the 70,000 jobs that rely on it, many of which come into North Queensland and my electorate of Herbert.

Andrew Gee (Calare, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There being no further speakers, the debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.