Tim Watts (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

As I was indicating yesterday, climate change is the critical issue of our generation. It is happening right here and right now, and we are seeing the real-world effects not only in Australia but around the world. Ban Ki-moon has eloquently pointed out that we're the last generation that can take steps to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Urgent revisions of the Reef 2050 plan were recommended by an expert independent panel led by former Chief Scientist Ian Chubb which would have enabled 'mitigation, adaptation and management of the reef in the face of inexorable global warming'. A World Heritage Committee report released this month confirms that global action is required to save the reef and that, if the world doesn't keep global temperatures in line, the reef will continue to deteriorate. It is unacceptable that the government will not act to protect one of Australia's most precious resources.

In the 1970s, the Whitlam government established the nation's very first maritime reserve to protect the Great Barrier Reef. Labor released the world's largest network of marine protected areas and national parks in 2012, under the previous Labor government. This network was based on the latest science and extensive community consultation. Labor has a strong record of protecting our oceans and its ecosystems. While we were in government, we expanded shipping movement surveillance across the reef. Labor's shipping policies promoted the use of experienced Australian pilots to navigate the reef, which not only protects the reef but also supports Australian jobs.

When the member for Warringah was Prime Minister, he put our plans on hold. Now the Prime Minister directly attacks them. Carbon emissions have risen by 1.4 per cent in the last year. The government's own projections on emissions show that Australia will fall well short of the mark regarding our obligations under the Paris Agreement as a result of this Prime Minister's climate and energy policies. It is time for the Prime Minister to find a backbone, stand up to his party and start doing what he knows is right. The member for Wentworth once said that he would never lead a party that was not as committed to genuine, effective climate change action as he was. Those words have been put back in the closet, along with the leather jacket from his Q&A days. It's time for action to deliver on protecting the reef and its ecosystems by introducing better climate and energy policy.

Over the last few months, we have seen the government's plans to reduce the protection of oceans. No other government in the world has ever removed so many hectares from conservation areas before. It's a sad state of affairs when Australia is making history by taking huge steps backwards on ocean protection. Prime Minister, putting your head in the sand will not help you find the solutions our reef desperately needs. This government's failure on climate are far reaching. Not only do they threaten the reef but they also cause emissions to rise and electricity prices to rise. They cost us jobs in the renewal energy sector. The government have refused to acknowledge the danger that climate change poses for the reef. Their answer to climate change is an ineffective and expensive $2.5 billion climate policy—something the Prime Minister has previously referred to as an 'environmental fig leaf' to cover a determination to do nothing. Those opposite and their willingness to sacrifice our environment for short-sighted and short-term economic gains, illusory economic gains, has been illustrated by sustained budget cuts to environmental programs. The environment portfolio has approximately half the resources that it did when Labor was in power. You can't be serious about protecting the reef unless you're also serious about climate change policy.

Beyond direct reef protections we must stop the land clearing that is happening in Far North Queensland. The Queensland Auditor-General has reported that land clearing in the Great Barrier Reef catchment area has tripled as a result of the former LNP-Newman government's law changes. An important part of the 2050 Great Barrier Reef sustainability plan was to get land clearing laws in Queensland back under control. This government has not done a thing to enact our commitment to the World Heritage Committee, UNESCO, in its 2050 sustainability plan. A key part of the variety of commitments made in this plan were designed to stop the Great Barrier Reef from being placed on the endangered list. Australia needs an ambitious, commonsense pathway to a low-pollution economy. The Labor Party has a clear plan, with six key elements focusing on leading renewable energy economy, cleaner power generation, building jobs and industry, cutting pollution, carbon capture on the land and increased energy efficiency. The environment will always be a priority for the Labor Party. We do not see the false dichotomy between protecting the Australian environment, protecting the Great Barrier Reef and fighting for Australian jobs and the Australian economy.

Indeed, I was very pleased to see the recent announcement by the Leader of the Opposition that a Shorten government will inject $1 billion into new tourism infrastructure in northern Australia to support the industry and to create new jobs. This new Northern Australia Tourism Infrastructure Fund will provide financing and concessional loans to build new tourism infrastructure in northern Australia. Well, I can tell you, you can build all the infrastructure you want, but if you lose the biggest drawcard, if you lose the Great Barrier Reef—one of the most iconic drawcards of the Australian tourism industry—this will be for nought.

Tens of thousands of jobs rely on the Great Barrier Reef. These are jobs that will be sustained. They are not just for an initial start-up period, not just for the construction period of a project, but are permanent jobs that communities across regional Queensland can rely on long into the future, but only if we have a government that is willing to do what it takes to protect the Great Barrier Reef. The Labor government recognised that the World Economic Forum's 2017 travel and tourism competitiveness index ranked Australia seventh for overall competitiveness but 14th for overall infrastructure. That's why we're taking action. This $1 billion infrastructure fund for tourism in regional Australia, in North Queensland, will have a positive impact on building jobs for our nation. But, again, it will all be for nought if we sacrifice the reef in the interim.

I've had an overwhelming response from my constituents about the future of the reef. I thank all the constituents who've taken time to write about this very important issue. They may not have faith in the government's approach to the management of this issue and the government's commitment to defending the Great Barrier Reef, but I can assure them that the Labor Party is committed to protecting this iconic Australian asset. Labor will continue to fight for the environment, we will continue to do what it takes to fight climate change and we will continue to fight for the preservation of the Great Barrier Reef, not only for the benefit of this generation but for the benefit of generations to come.

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