House debates

Tuesday, 19 February 2019

Questions without Notice: Additional Answers

Climate Change

3:15 pm

Photo of Greg HuntGreg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health) Share this | | Hansard source

I wish to add to an answer I gave earlier today. I undertook to bring back the World Heritage Committee decisions officially placing Australia's World Heritage status on 'watch' and on 'danger'. I'm delighted to table and to repeat them. I go to the World Heritage Committee decision of 2012, decision 36COM 7B.8, entitled 'Great Barrier Reef (Australia) (N 154)', when the member for Watson was the Minister for the Environment. That decision states at paragraph 10:

Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2013, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property—

that is, the World Heritage Committee property, the Great Barrier Reef—

including on the implementation of actions outlined above and in the mission report, for consideration by the World Heritage Committee at its 37th session in 2013, with a view to consider, in the absence of substantial progress, the possible inscription of the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger;

It was then repeated the following year in the official documentation, placing Australia on watch in 2013, but with the removal of the word 'possible':

… in the absence of substantial progress, the inscription of the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

I am delighted to table it. You seem to have forgotten that it happened on your watch.