Nita Green (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A little over a week ago, I delivered my annual report to the minister detailing my second year as Special Envoy for the Great Barrier Reef. The past year has undoubtedly been a challenging one for the reef and coral ecosystems around the world, as evidenced by the most recent reports from the Australian Institute of Marine Science. This is why the Albanese government has stepped up reef protection efforts since coming to office two years ago, delivering a record $1.2 billion investment in a range of important programs. My focus as special envoy has been to ensure that this investment is delivered and is making a difference.

I'm pleased that in the past two years we have delivered record funding for water quality measures in catchments right across Queensland, continued funding for a crown-of-thorns starfish control program, commenced the process to make the reef gill-net free by 2027, doubled funding for reef science and extended the Tourism Reef Protection Initiative. All of these efforts have been recognised by UNESCO in its decision to maintain the reef's World Heritage listing. However, we know there is always more work to do.

Protecting the reef and building its resilience is a task that we all have a role in, and progress is most effective and long lasting when we work in strong partnership across governments, industry, science and research, and traditional owners. The Great Barrier Reef is a very special place. I'm proud to call it my home, and I'm also extremely proud of the dedicated network of people who work each and every day in the water and in the catchments to ensure the reef is protected for generations to come. I recognise the role that they play and thank them for their continuing insights and expertise.

Of course, Labor has always had a proud tradition of standing up to protect the Great Barrier Reef. Today marks 50 years since former prime minister Gough Whitlam stood up in Cairns and declared that the Labor government would establish the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park to protect the reef against the threat of oil drilling from the Joh Bjelke-Petersen government. Mr Whitlam said at the time:

We will take this action to protect an irreplaceable part of Australia's natural heritage. We are determined to safeguard the reef and ensure its survival. We will preserve it both for its intrinsic value and its importance to the tourist industry of Queensland.

Fifty years on, the reef faces another major threat, and the community of Cairns, where Whitlam made his speech, faces an uncertain future. It is only a Labor government that is willing to take action to protect the reef and the thousands of jobs that rely on it. We're delivering $1.2 billion of record funding to protect the reef, we are taking action on climate change to reduce emissions and we are working towards our renewable energy targets. But this is all at risk if Peter Dutton becomes Prime Minister. The Liberal and National parties are arrogantly ignoring the science and the wishes of the community, and they are pushing ahead with a policy that will harm the reef in real terms and reputationally. Peter Dutton's expensive nuclear plan will mean more emissions for much longer. Nuclear means no net zero, which means no Great Barrier Reef. For communities like Cairns, where hundreds of businesses and thousands of jobs are at risk if we don't protect the reef, too much is at stake to take a risk on Peter Dutton's expensive nuclear plan.

We would love to know if the LNP candidate for Leichhardt, Jeremy Neal, supports this destructive and expensive nuclear plan, but he has refused to speak to the media about this issue. It is obvious why—because you can't support the tourism industry in Cairns if you also support Peter Dutton's nuclear plan. Jeremy 'Nuclear' Neal can either support our city or back his masters in Brisbane. He cannot do both.

Labor governments always have and always will step up to protect the reef and the jobs that rely on it. Whether it's oil drilling or nuclear, under the LNP the reef will always be at risk.