Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Hansard source

Discussions between the members of the committee will always remain private, so we make no apologies for defending Australia's reputation as the best marine park managers in the world. The minister for the environment has highlighted before that climate change is the most serious long-term threat to the health of coral reefs worldwide, and that includes the Great Barrier Reef. It also threatens 82 other World Heritage sites around the world. Rainforests, fjord-lands, glaciers—none would be better off if UNESCO succeeded in its bid to single out Australia for what is, we all agree, a global problem. That's why the World Heritage Committee unanimously struck out this year's attempt to use Australia only for its global call to action.

With only 1.3 per cent of global emissions, Australia cannot fix this problem alone. The world must do more to reduce emissions and the World Heritage Committee must find a path towards collective action and not singular punishment. The Morrison government's concern was that UNESCO sought an immediate in-danger listing without appropriate consultation, without a site visit and without all the latest information. It's clear that this process concerned not only Australia but other nations as well. So we welcome the support of an overwhelming majority of the nations at the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee. (Time expired)