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

My question is to the minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Cormann. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority just downgraded the outlook of the future of the Great Barrier Reef from poor to very poor, saying that the biggest threat to the reef is climate change, followed by water quality. This downgrade comes right as the World Heritage Committee is reconsidering whether to list the reef as World Heritage in Danger after 50 per cent of the coral cover of the reef died since 2016. As well as its intrinsic value, 64,000 people rely on the reef to remain healthy for their livelihoods. When will this government do what independent scientists, tourism operators, its own agencies and even other nations, like Samoa—from whom we have a delegation today—are calling for, and adopt a climate policy that will save what's left of the reef?

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) | Link to this | Hansard source

As I believe I might have said in response to a similar question yesterday, the government is committed to effective action on climate change. Indeed, we are on track to meet and exceed our emissions reduction targets signed onto in Kyoto, and we have a plan to meet our emissions reduction target to 2030, agreed to in Paris.

Furthermore, the Morrison government is making an unprecedented investment in the Great Barrier Reef, with more than one $1.2 billion committed. In fact, the Labor Party and the Greens, at various times, conspired to criticise us for the level of investment that we were making into the future health of the Great Barrier Reef. This is a government which is absolutely committed to the Great Barrier Reef and its future health. And, of course, we very much understand the importance of the Great Barrier Reef as one of our amazing, world-class tourism assets. Of course we understand this, which is why we are making that significant investment. All we're getting from the Labor Party and the Greens is noise. We are getting on with it.

Scott Ryan (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Waters, a supplementary question?

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

The Australian government is reported to have lobbied for the World Heritage Committee not to consider climate change when deciding whether sites, including the Great Barrier Reef, should be listed as World Heritage in Danger. The Prime Minister is also reportedly skipping the international climate summit next week and, instead, meeting with a large donor in Washington. When is this government going to stop its war on climate science? And would you care more about the reef if it donated to you?

Scott Ryan (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

I encourage senators to be very careful about imputations directed at individual senators. The words I heard then could be interpreted as an imputation upon an individual senator, which we apply much more strictly—as I reminded the Senate yesterday. So I ask senators to keep that in mind. I would not like to get into an extensive debate about that.

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) | Link to this | Hansard source

I completely reject the premise of the question. I refer Senator Waters to my answer to her previous question.

Scott Ryan (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Waters, a final supplementary question?

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

After years of climate science denial and saying that the real threat to the reef was water quality and not climate, two of your backbenchers are proposing an inquiry about whether water quality really is a threat to the reef. What do you say to the former Chief Scientist, now head of your reef expert panel, Professor Ian Chubb, who has said the reef science is 'robust', 'peer reviewed' and of the 'highest quality' and has compared the campaign against reef science with strategies employed by big tobacco?

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Waters for asking a question about an outstanding motion on the Notice Paper by Senator McDonald and Senator McGrath. On our side we are absolutely committed to the health of the Great Barrier Reef and we understand that farmers across Queensland—in particular, farmers in North Queensland—deeply care about the health of the Great Barrier Reef. We believe it's very important for there to be sensible coexistence between economic activity and environmental protection, and I congratulate Senator McDonald and Senator McGrath for taking this initiative. If the Greens actually cared about practical environmental protection, they would support that initiative, they would get right behind it, because it's a great opportunity to do even better in protecting our Great Barrier Reef into the future.