Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I think the Minister for the Environment and Water, along with the Special Envoy for the Great Barrier Reef, Senator Green, and the Prime Minister did stand up today and make comments before the media about this issue. Yes, we do recognise the importance of the reef and how critical the reef is to Queensland's environment and economy. We also understand the importance of acting on climate. Furthermore, we understand the importance of investing in the Great Barrier Reef.

We are committed as a government to protecting the reef, for the 64,000 jobs which rely on it. We also recognise that UNESCO has seen significant progress made by our government in relation to climate change, water quality and sustainable fishing. That is because we have invested a record $1.2 billion in the reef. (Time expired)