Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. It is now a matter of record that the Prime Minister offered the Brisbane based, private Great Barrier Reef Foundation almost half a billion dollars of taxpayers' money in a closed-door meeting on 9 April. Prime Minister, why weren't the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the Australian Institute of Marine Science or the CSIRO even invited to tender for the half-a-billion-dollar contract of taxpayer money?

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Minister for the Environment and Energy.

Mr Shorten interjecting—

The Leader of the Opposition catcalling across the dispatch boxes is not going to occur.

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's an inconvenient truth for the Leader of the Opposition that the coalition government is saving the reef when Labor abandoned it. That's the inconvenient truth for the Labor Party. That's because we've heard from the Prime Minister that, when the Labor Party was last in office, they put the Great Barrier Reef on a fast track to the endangered list. They failed to put in place a long-term plan to secure jobs in the member for Capricornia's seat, in the member for Dawson's seat, in the member for Herbert's seat and in the member for Leichhardt's seat. They failed to put in place a long-term plan.

They had five capital dredge disposal projects planned for the marine park. That's what they had. They failed to allocate funding. In fact, funding was about half of what it is under the Turnbull government today. We have put in place the Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan in partnership with the Queensland government—that's $2 billion. We've committed this $500 million. Do you know who is on the board of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation? The chairman of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Minister for the Environment and Energy will resume his seat. The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Opposition Business (House)) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question itself went entirely to who was invited to tender for the contract—entirely to that. I'd simply put it you that this is not directly relevant in any way.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll call the minister back. He does need to be relevant to the question.

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The best partner for the Commonwealth government was the foundation because of its proven track record and its ability to leverage off the philanthropic sector. The fact of the matter is the foundation works closely with the CSIRO, with AIMS and with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority—so much so that, when Labor was in office, Labor decided to provide money to the foundation. Again, Labor abandoned the reef, and the coalition is saving it.