SAVING THE
GREAT BARRIER
REEF
Labor’s plan to protect a natural wonder
Published January 2015
Authorised A Chisholm 16 Peel Street South Brisbane Qld 4101 for the Australian Labor Party
Photos: Pages 3, 7 and 10 courtesy of Wikipedia Commons
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from_Helecopter.JPG
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/Turtle06.jpg/800px-Turtle06.jpg
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A message from Annastacia
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the natural wonders of the world and we are lucky
that as Queenslanders we can enjoy its splendour without travelling far from home.
However over recent years it has become clear that the Reef is facing major threats
such as poor water quality, coastal development, climate change, ocean
acidification and crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks.
Queensland has a responsibility to the world and to future generations to protect
the Great Barrier Reef. Unfortunately Campbell Newman has not taken this
responsibility seriously.
The Newman Government has comprehensively mismanaged the Reef. It is not
meeting existing targets to improve water quality and it is subsidising poorly
designed dredging programs.
Labor understands the unprecedented threats facing the Great Barrier Reef and we
will take unprecedented action to address them.
A Labor Government will ban the sea dumping of capital dredge spoil within the
Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.
We will institute new ambitious and strict targets to reduce pollution run-off and
invest an additional $100 million over five years to help meet them.
Protecting the Great Barrier Reef does not only protect an environmental icon, it
protects the $6 billion the Reef contributes to our economy annually and the more
than 60,000 jobs it provides.
Only Labor has the policies, vision and determination to save the Great Barrier Reef.
Annastacia Palaszczuk MP
Leader of the Opposition
To protect the Great Barrier Reef Queensland Labor will;
•
Ban the sea dumping of capital dredge spoil within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area
•
Convene a high-level taskforce with representatives from regional communities, conservation organisations, industry groups
(including primary producers, tourism operators and local government) and leading scientists to determine the best possible approach to achieve an 80% reduction in pollution run-off into the Great Barrier Reef by 2025.
•
Provide an additional $100 million over five years towards water quality initiatives, scientific research and helping businesses transition to better environmental practices in the primary production and fishing
industries.
•
Reduce Queensland’s carbon emissions by reintroducing Labor’s
nation-leading tree clearing laws.
•
Reinstate the world class coastal planning laws axed by the Newman Government.
•
Repeal the Newman Government’s water laws which will have a
detrimental effect on the Great Barrier Reef catchment systems and
allow for over allocation of Queensland’s precious water resources.
•
Work with the Federal Government and the International Maritime
Organisation to develop a new vessel class which will ensure bulk goods carriers travelling in the world heritage area meet stringent safety codes.
•
Fight to ensure the Abbott Government pays a fair share to help save the Great Barrier Reef.
SAVING THE GREAT BARRIER REEF - 2
The challenge
The Great Barrier Reef is in severe and accelerating decline from a number of
interrelated factors including poor water quality caused by agricultural and
sediment run-off, coastal development, climate change, ocean acidification and
natural phenomena such as cyclone activity and crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks.
According to a widely publicised study conducted by the Australian Institute of
Marine Science (AIMS), coral cover declined by more than 50% between 1985 and
2012. While the northern third of the Great Barrier Reef remains in reasonable
health the remaining two-thirds is in poor condition.
The health of the Great Barrier Reef has attracted international attention and
Australia faces the real possibility that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World Heritage Committee will decide to officially
list the reef as ‘in danger’ in 2015.
The Reef is an Australian icon and a world-renowned ecosystem. It also contributes
$6 billion annually to the Queensland economy and supports over 60,000 jobs.
Given the scale of the threat facing the Reef we must take substantial action to
secure its long-term health.
The Newman and Abbott governments are not properly caring for the Reef and
have refused to acknowledge the very real threats it faces. From the moment they
were elected, Newman Government ministers have downplayed the threats to
the Reef and as recently as July 2014 they were still claiming the Reef was in good
health.
Unfortunately it is clear that the Newman Government does not recognise the scale
of the problem confronting the Great Barrier Reef and only Labor will act decisively
to protect it for future generations.
SAVING THE GREAT BARRIER REEF - 3
Labor’s solution
Queensland Labor understands the unprecedented threats facing the Great Barrier
Reef and we will take unprecedented action to address them.
Dredging and port development
The Newman Government has comprehensively mismanaged port development
along the Great Barrier Reef coastline and supported the dumping of three million
cubic metres of dredge spoil from Abbot Point within the Great Barrier Reef Marine
Park. Despite backing down on this proposal, the LNP will still allow up to 10 million
cubic metres to be dumped in the World Heritage Area over the next few years and
refuses to rule out sea dumping entirely.
In fact the Newman Government is actively subsidising dredging operations in the
Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area with $40 million committed to dredging
Trinity Inlet in Cairns and an undisclosed amount allocated to the Abbot Point
project.
Queensland Labor will ban sea-based dumping of capital dredge spoil within the
Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.
We will optimise the use of existing port infrastructure in four ports within the
World Heritage Area, Townsville, Abbot Point, Mackay-Hay Point and Gladstone, and
prohibit capital dredging outside these ports.
Where expansion is necessary within these four ports we will mandate the
beneficial reuse of dredge spoil, such as land reclamation in port development
areas, or disposal on land where it is environmentally safe to do so. We will also
require all proponents of new dredging works to demonstrate their project is
commercially viable prior to the commencement of work.
A Labor Government will also prohibit trans-shipping operations within the Great
Barrier Reef Marine Park.
Further, Queensland Labor does not support the Newman Government’s
economically and environmentally risky secret deal to fund Adani’s dredging
operation to secure their expansion of Abbot Point and the rail line construction for
their proposed mine even before financial viability and surety has been secured.
Labor will not spend taxpayer money to build a rail line for a private commercial
project. As Adani Australia’s Chief Executive Officer has said “This project will stand
alone on its feet always and every project is done on the economics of the project itself.”
SAVING THE GREAT BARRIER REEF - 4
Adani must ensure its project is viable in an open, competitive marketplace. Labor
will not do any secret deals.
Queensland Labor does not support the Newman Government’s current plan to
dump dredge spoil from Abbot Point onto the Caley Valley Wetlands. Information
prepared by North Queensland Bulk Ports, and accessed through Right to
Information, shows that this is the worst option for the environment and that the
Newman Government has known this since 2012.
The current plan is nothing more than a quick political fix to hide a problem of
Campbell Newman’s own making. We will ensure that dredging does not go ahead
until Adani has demonstrated its project has financial closure.
Labor understands that numerous studies have shown that the best expansion
option for the environment is the use of dredged material for land reclamation
within the port development area. Land reclamation will enable Abbot Point port to
export a range of commodities, not just coal.
The Newman Government has committed $40 million towards a major dredging
project at Trinity Inlet in Cairns. The environmental impact statement for that
project has been completed, but Campbell Newman is keeping it secret until after
the election is over. Labor will not subsidise this dredging campaign and we will not
allow dredging to go ahead at Trinity Inlet unless there is a responsible, workable
plan to use the dredge spoil for land reclamation or dispose of it safely on land.
In Central Queensland a future Labor Government will prohibit any development in
the Greater Fitzroy River delta and ensure that any necessary increase in port
capacity is confined within the existing Port of Gladstone.
A Labor Government will also develop a comprehensive, state-wide framework for
maintenance dredging which identifies future dredging requirements, ascertains
appropriate environmental windows to avoid coral spawning and protect seagrass,
and examines opportunities for the beneficial reuse of dredge spoil or on land
disposal from maintenance activities.
Water quality
Labor governments at both state and federal levels have taken substantial action to
protect the Reef, first committing $175 million and $200 million respectively in 2009
and this investment has seen an improvement in agricultural run-off which has
received praise from UNESCO.
SAVING THE GREAT BARRIER REEF - 5
However, as more scientific evidence has come to light regarding the declining
health of the Great Barrier Reef, such as the AIMS study showing coral cover has
declined by over 50% since 1985, and the effects of climate change on the Reef
have become better understood, it is clear that more needs to be done.
Instead of listening to the emerging scientific consensus and increasing investment
to protect the Reef, the Newman and Abbott governments have sat on their hands.
These LNP governments have not increased funding to save the Reef even in line
with inflation which means the current allocations are less effective than in 2009.
The Abbott Government has even cut funding to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
Authority and AIMS; the very organisations charged with the responsibility of
protecting and conducting research on our Reef.
Our knowledge of the scale of the threats facing the Great Barrier Reef has increased
markedly over the last few years but LNP governments at both levels have not
increased their commitments in line with our increased knowledge. There can be
little doubt that the amount of funding allocated by the Newman and Abbott
governments to improve the health of the Great Barrier Reef is inadequate.
Under the former Labor Government 98% of primary producers had an
Environmental Risk Management Plan in place or a commitment to develop one.
This policy was starting to have real positive results. There had already been a 14%
reduction in nitrogen run-off by the time the LNP came to power.
Unfortunately the latest Reef Report Card shows that this progress has reversed
under the Newman Government’s failed approach with the reduction of nitrogen
run-off falling back to just 10%.
The Newman Government has chosen to rely on primary producers making
voluntary commitments to move to best management practices to reduce run-off
but this approach has not delivered the improvements required. Despite spending
$3.5 million to assist in the transition to best management practices, very few
primary producers have been accredited to this standard. In 2013 only 49% of
canegrowers had adopted improved practices, well short of the 80% target.
Due to the failure of the Newman Government’s voluntary approach, it is now
extremely unlikely that we will be able to meet the Reef Water Quality Protection
Plan’s target that there is no detrimental impact to the Great Barrier Reef through
agricultural water quality by 2020.
SAVING THE GREAT BARRIER REEF - 6
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In order to reach that goal Queensland Labor commits to:
•
•
Reducing nitrogen run-off by up to 80% in key catchments such as the Wet Tropics and the Burdekin by 2025
Reducing total suspended sediment run-off by up to 50% in key catchments such as the Wet Tropics and the Burdekin by 2025.
A Labor Government will constitute a high-level taskforce with representative from
local governments, conservation groups, primary producers, tourism operators and
leading scientists to determine the best possible approach to meet our strict
targets.
The taskforce will be required to report within a year of commencing and consider
the effectiveness and cost of robust regulations, a market-based trading mechanism
or a combination thereof.
In the intervening period to ensure there is a continued decrease in agricultural
run-off a Labor Government will require farmers to operate under an
Environmental Risk Management Plan unless they have been accredited to best
management practice standards.
A Labor Government will boost annual funding for water quality and environmental
sustainability programs by allocating an additional $100 million over five years.
This additional funding will be invested in upgrades to, and extensions of, the water
quality monitoring network, scientific research, and promoting
environmentally sustainable industry practices especially to support primary
producers in Reef catchments to reduce fertiliser and sediment run-off.
Part of this funding will go towards working with community, conservation and
industry groups to develop a new model to restrict and regulate fertiliser and
sediment run-off into the Great Barrier Reef.
Queensland Labor will also fight to ensure the Federal Government provides at least
a commensurate increase in funding to Great Barrier Reef protection programs.
The Australian Government has previously taken key responsibility for funding
programs to address significant environmental issues, most notably in the
Murray-Darling Basin which is not World Heritage listed.
As the health of the Great Barrier Reef is a matter of national, indeed international,
environmental significance, Queensland Labor believes that the Australian
Government should take a lead funding role in its protection.
SAVING THE GREAT BARRIER REEF - 8
Protections that matter for the Reef
The Newman Government has ignored scientific advice and gutted environmental
regulations which were developed over decades. Campbell Newman has taken the
axe to tree-clearing laws, repealed world-class coastal planning laws and removed
the principles of ecologically sustainable development from the Water Act.
These changes have often been made against the express advice of the Great
Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the organisation responsible for the stewardship
of the Reef.
Labor will return Queensland to a modern framework of environmental regulation.
We will reinstate the nation-leading vegetation protection laws repealed by the
Newman Government. In addition we will reintroduce riverine protection permits to
guard against excessive clearing of riparian vegetation. These laws will reduce the
clearing of native vegetation and contribute to our effort to reduce sediment
run-off.
The Newman Government’s decision to remove the principles of ecologically
sustainable development from the Water Act goes against a commitment it made in
the Great Barrier Reef Coastal Zone Strategic Assessment. This irresponsible
decision undermines our position with UNESCO and increases the risk of the Reef
being listed as a World Heritage site ‘in danger.’
A Labor Government will act immediately to include the principles of ecologically
sustainable development in the Water Act and ensure the proper regulation of
water catchments leading to the Great Barrier Reef.
The Great Barrier Reef runs along 2,600 kilometres of the Queensland coastline and
what we do on land has unavoidable impacts on the Reef. The Newman
Government weakened coastal planning laws in 2012 and now allows
inappropriate development in sensitive coastal sites such as wetlands.
Queensland Labor will reinstate world-class coastal planning laws to ensure the
Great Barrier Reef is not adversely affected by development along our coastline.
Our coastal planning laws will be based on the best available science, make
allowances for expected sea level rise and protect ecologically important areas like
wetlands, and will prohibit new development in high-hazard greenfield sites.
SAVING THE GREAT BARRIER REEF - 9
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Shipping
The continued expansion of the Queensland economy is expected to contribute
to an increase in shipping movements within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage
Area. Queensland Labor believes this increase can be managed safely and
sustainably, particularly given the world-class vessel tracking system which was
introduced by Labor and now operates along the entire reef.
Queensland Labor will work with the Federal Government and the International
Maritime Organisation to develop a new vessel class which will ensure bulk goods
carriers travelling in the World Heritage Area meet stringent safety codes.
Labor will ensure no single-hulled bulk carriers, or ships with poor safety records,
will be allowed to use reef shipping lanes.
Fishing
The health of the Great Barrier Reef also depends on the health of key species
including native fish, dugongs and sea turtles. Dugongs and turtles were
disproportionately affected in the aftermath of the 2011 and 2013 natural disasters
after their primary food source, seagrass, died off. There is also growing evidence
that these populations are being harmed by commercial netting practices.
A Labor Government will reserve up to $10 million of our additional Great Barrier
Reef funding commitment to fund the buy-back of net fishing licences in key areas.
We will progress this initiative in close consultation with relevant stakeholders such
as the fishing industry and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
Climate change
The greatest threats facing the Great Barrier Reef are climate change and associated
ocean acidification. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fifth
Assessment states;
“The Great Barrier Reef is expected to degrade under all climate change scenarios.”
Both the Newman and Abbott Governments have chosen to ignore the
overwhelming global scientific and economic consensus on climate change and as
such they cannot be trusted to credibly protect the Reef.
SAVING THE GREAT BARRIER REEF - 11
Notwithstanding the several other compelling reasons Australia should be a leading
player in climate change mitigation and emissions reduction, our responsibility for
the stewardship of the Great Barrier Reef necessitates that we have a
comprehensive climate change policy.
A Queensland Labor Government will act within the scope of its authority to reduce
carbon emissions and we will take appropriate action to mitigate and adapt its
consequences.
The most effective move a state government can make to reduce carbon emissions
is to have strong vegetation protection laws to keep trees in the ground.
A Labor Government will reinstate effective vegetation management laws which
have been torn apart by the Newman Government.
We will also provide a stable and welcoming regulatory environment to encourage
private sector investment in renewable energy. We maintain our support for the
Clean Energy Finance Corporation and the Renewable Energy Target and we will put
pressure on the Abbott Government to retain these vital policy measures.
SAVING THE GREAT BARRIER REEF - 12
Labor’s commitment
To protect the Great Barrier Reef Queensland Labor will:
•
Ban the sea dumping of capital dredge spoil within the Great
Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.
•
Convene a high-level taskforce with representatives from regional communities, conservation organisations, industry groups
(including primary producers, tourism operators and local
government) and leading scientists to determine the best possible approach achieve an 80% reduction in pollution run-off into the Great Barrier Reef by 2025.
•
Provide an additional $100 million over five years towards water quality initiatives, scientific research and helping to transition to better environmental practices in the primary production and
fishing industries.
•
Reduce Queensland’s carbon emissions by reintroducing Labor’s nation-leading tree clearing laws.
•
Reinstate the world class coastal planning laws axed by the
Newman Government.
•
Repeal the Newman Government’s water laws which will have a detrimental effect on the Great Barrier Reef catchment systems and allow for over allocation of Queensland’s precious water resources.
•
Work with the Federal Government and the International Maritime Organisation to develop a new vessel class which will ensure bulk goods carriers travelling in the World Heritage Area meet stringent safety codes.
•
Fight to ensure the Abbott Government pays a fair share to help save the Great Barrier Reef.
SAVING THE GREAT BARRIER REEF - 13
For more information:
annastacia.com.au
@annastaciamp
facebook.com/APalaszczukMP