Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Conroy, the Minister representing the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. The World Heritage Committee's draft decision of a week ago warns that Australia has just one year to avoid having the Great Barrier Reef added to the List of World Heritage In Danger and that we can avoid that by acting on that committee's recommendations to pause development in the reef until the strategic assessment is completed, rule out new ports in pristine areas and reject damaging port expansions. They say there has been limited progress on these recommendations by both state and federal governments.

Is the federal government now going to act on those recommendations to ensure that Australia will not be the only developed nation with a site on the List of World Heritage In Danger, or is it instead going to lobby other nations to water down that draft decision prior to the World Heritage meeting in Cambodia in June?