Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Senator, for your question. The Morrison government is deeply committed to protecting the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef. Benchmarked against global standards, Australia's management of the reef is recognised as a leading example and is considered by many to be the gold standard for large-scale marine protected area management, according to that same UNESCO report.

The centrepiece of Australia's reef-protection efforts is the Reef 2050 Plan, jointly developed with the Queensland government. The plan has been delivered, and it is achieving results. We have reduced pressures on the reef, built reef resilience and strengthened partnerships for the future. The Australian and Queensland governments are now investing more than $3 billion, from 2014-15 to 2023-24, to implement the Reef 2050 Plan. More than $2 billion of this is from the Australian government, which is an unprecedented investment. They are big numbers, but what does that mean at the ground level? It means that the custodian of Lady Elliot Island, Peter Gash, can continue 20 years of work transforming a former island mine—

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will remind Senator Whish-Wilson that my first sentence was, in fact, that the Morrison government is deeply committed to protecting the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef and that we fully recognise that the Great Barrier Reef is indeed facing serious pressures from climate change and other impacts. That is why we are delivering the 2050 plan, which is jointly developed with the Queensland government. The big numbers in that plan mean that the custodian of Lady Elliot Island, Peter Gash, can continue 20 years of work transforming a former island mine site into a world-famous ecological sanctuary. It also means the continued conservation work with sea turtles at Mon Repos and Raine Island. It means that five control vessels are continuing to protect reef resilience by culling coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish on critical reefs in the marine park. And it means that world-leading— (Time expired)

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I said, the Morrison government is deeply committed to protecting the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef, and we fully recognise that the Great Barrier Reef is facing significant pressures from climate change and from other impacts. We do not support the recommendation to immediately place the reef on the List of World Heritage in Danger, and we will strongly oppose that recommendation. We think that this recommendation is premature and doesn't recognise the enormous efforts of the Australian and Queensland governments working with farmers, working with tourism operators, working with traditional owners and working with local communities up and down the reef coast to protect the reef and to support them with a $3 billion joint investment. This government has been stunned by the backflip on previous assurances by UN officials that the reef would not face such a recommendation prior to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee hosted by China this July.

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will reiterate exactly what we are doing about the Great Barrier Reef, because the Morrison government, I reiterate again, is deeply committed to protecting the reef. That is why the Australian and Queensland governments are now investing more than $3 billion from 2014-15 to 2023-24 to implement the Reef 2050 Plan. More than $2 billion of this is from the Australian government, which is an unprecedented investment.

Australia's practical action on emissions reduction goes hand in hand with our practical action on reef protection and climate adaptation. This includes efforts to improve the health of the reef and its resilience to climate change by reducing local and regional pressures and leading the way in reef adaptation science through measures like $150 million for the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program. That's a word-leading project to find innovative ways for the coral reef to adapt to the impacts of climate change, an issue that I know is so dear to your heart, Senator Whish-Wilson.