Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Labor has no option but to oppose this motion, because it claims that the Reef 2050 plan is being delivered early. This government is not delivering early for the environment or for the reef. This government is failing on climate change, and the Liberal National Party in Queensland voted against reef protections aimed at limiting tree clearing. The Liberal-National Party chose to protect its mates who want to bulldoze trees and native vegetation, rather than protecting Australia's iconic Great Barrier Reef. It isn't the fault of the state government in Queensland that land-clearing regulations haven't been updated. This position that damages the reef by increased sediment run-off from land to the reef is being championed by the Liberal-National Party. The Queensland government put in legislation to strengthen land-clearing laws to halt the broadscale clearing of remnant vegetation which is destroying key wildlife habitat and contributing to climate change, but the Liberal-National Party voted against the legislation and reef protection. At the time, Labor in Queensland made it clear that the Liberal-National Party have abandoned the reef plan and that the Palaszczuk government remains 100 per cent committed to it. (Time expired)