Ian Campbell (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment and Heritage) Share this | Hansard source

I am drawing a distinction between the protection the coalition government has put in place for the reef under the auspices of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, an increase to 34 per cent, and that of the previous Labor regime. When you focus on the issue of the protection of the reef and the role the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority plays in that—and, of course, it was very contentious along the Queensland coast—and when you move from protection of four per cent to 34 per cent and remove the fishing effort that was involved there, at a cost of in excess of $100 million to date, you create a lot of angst in the local community.

Of course, the key issue on that coast, leading up to the last election was: just what would Labor do in relation to the park and the boundaries? And the Australian Labor Party’s policy on protection of the reef stands in stark contrast to ours. When I was asked the question: ‘What would you do?’ I said, ‘We will stand by the boundaries and we will pay structural adjustment to the fishing industries and the tourism industries.’ Of course, when Labor was asked the question—