E&OE….
Topics: Great Barrier Reef
GREG HUNT:
Overnight UNESCO's World Heritage Centre has recommended that the Great Barrier Reef not be listed ‘in danger’. They have removed all references to in danger from their draft decision and they have praised the work of Australia and Queensland in preparing the reef for the future. I welcome that draft decision. Personally I am absolutely delighted because this decision is great news for the reef, it’s great news for Queensland and it’s great news for Australia.
The essence of the decision is that because of the choices and policies that have been put into action to end forever the practice of capital dredge disposal in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and World Heritage Area, because of the long term sustainability plan which has been developed jointly between Queensland and the Australian Governments and because of the nearly quarter billion of additional investment between Queensland Government and the Australian Government on top of an almost two billion dollar existing ten year plan, the world has recognised the progress being made in Australia.
The decision comes in exactly the way that we had hoped it may. We are back to the ordinary course of reporting. What that means is just as we had proposed, in five years time we will present our outlook report on the health of the reef. That is what we do each five year period. So we are delighted that the World Heritage Centre has from its technical advisors agreed with our conclusions. In two years' time, again at our suggestion, we will provide a joint update – a joint update on the progress towards investment.
But most importantly the reef is off the ‘in danger’ list. It is off the path that we inherited. When we came into Government the reef had been on the path to endangerment for three years. It came on under the Federal Labor Government, it comes off under a Coalition Government, and it's a joint project with Queensland. At the end of the day, our task is to protect the reef, and to protect its reputation. Both of those things have occurred.
I do want to thank the Queensland Government. It has been a genuine pleasure working with successive Governments. I particularly want to acknowledge the work of Andrew Powell, as predecessor to Steven Miles, and Steven Miles himself. Each has been passionate about the reef, and Minister Miles, it has been tremendous working with you.
We've worked in a bipartisan way, across Government, many community groups have contributed to this, and I want to thank them for their work. Right now the task is to go forward and to turn this plan into further action. For protecting the reef, for eradicating crown of thorns, for reducing sediment and nitrogen and nutrient run-off. There are the things that actually help the health of the reef and to talk about that and other elements I’ll turn to Minister Miles.
STEVEN MILES:
Thanks you Greg. This is a strong, a good decision- a good draft decision from the World Heritage Committee. It's a glowing endorsement of the work we've done over the past few months and of the Long-Term Sustainability Plan that together we have developed. It's particularly an endorsement of our plan to ban the dumping of capital dredge spoil, not just at Abbot Point but in the entire World Heritage area.
It's a glowing endorsement of our plan to reduce nitrogen run-off, of our very ambitious targets and our investment to achieve those targets. And it's a glowing endorsement of our plan to concentrate port development so that we don't see a proliferation of ports along the coast, so that we can use the best channels and concentrate our port development in those locations. It's a good result for Queensland, and a good result for the 69,000 Queenslanders who rely on the reef for their livelihoods.
And today I think back to my first time on the reef, not that long ago actually, with my eldest son, and really the message to the world now is Queensland and Australian are doing what we need to do to protect and improve the Great Barrier Reef. So if the reef is on your bucket list, now is the time to make a plan and come here. Make a plan and bring your kids here. Swim with the turtles, swims with the fishes, come and see the coral, because over coming decades Queensland and Australia have a plan to protect and improve the reef and we will implement that plan.
GREG HUNT:
Alright. We're happy to take any questions.
JOURNALIST:
It's not really the all clear though is it? It's kind of like being on probation.
GREG HUNT:
No. Let me deal with some of the things that this decision is not. It is not as some would have it, a probation. All references to ‘in danger’ have been removed. It is not in some way a continuation of the previous situation. Not only has there been praise given to Australia, we've returned to the ordinary five year reporting cycle. Any reference to review has also been removed.
So there is a rightful recognition of some of the challenges that Queensland and Australia have identified for the reef, but at the end of the day this is the strongest possible endorsement of what Australia and Queensland are doing. The decision could not be more categorical. It recognises not just the plan, but the real world improvements that are occurring. This is still the world's Great Barrier Reef. It is the most majestic reef in the world. It is the largest reef in the world and it is the greatest reef in the world.
JOURNALIST:
What are some of those real world improvements Minister?
GREG HUNT:
Reductions in sediment, reductions in nitrogen, reductions in pesticide, the attack on the crown of thorns starfish. The Australian Marine Park Tourism Operators, AMPTO, are engaged and have been contracted for the single shot eradication of crown of thorns in high concentration areas. So these things are making a real difference.
And I do want to thank the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. The head of the authority, Russell Reichelt, is one of the great reef scientists of the world, and the authority and the joint management with Queensland, has been held up by UNESCO in their discussions with us, as the model of how a country should respond to an international decision and as the model of very effective management.
JOURNALIST:
The Great Barrier Reef is quite fragile though. Should this really be left up just to Government, and should other organisations butt out?
GREG HUNT:
Well I would put it this way – that our joint job is to manage the reef. The community has a huge role. The farming community has responded, I think, tremendously. They are the ones, in the end, who have to reduce sediment and nitrogen and pesticide run-off. They are doing that. We've just released an additional $15 million in funding to assist them and to assist in the crown of thorns eradication. That comes on top of a previous $15 million. The industry, the community, indigenous owners, they all have an absolutely critical part to play.
JOURNALIST:
Minister, you're not out of the woods yet. The draft decision makes clear that it wants to actually see real results. It's not a glowing endorsement.
GREG HUNT:
We want to see real results. And one of the reasons why both Queensland and Australia recommended that we report back in 2020, which we would in any event have to do under the ordinary reporting cycles of UNESCO, is that we want to maintain a watchful eye on, not just ourselves, but future administrations, right through to 2050. I think this is a very useful process. I want to thank the World Heritage Centre and the World Heritage Committee.
They have allowed us to do things on our respective watches which we may never have been able to have done. When I am old and greyer I hope to sit back on my chair and along with what we've done with the Emissions Reduction Fund, the work to protect the reef I hope is the work of my life, and I know Steven has also talked about it in that way. So we want there to be a strong international eye to compliment the strong domestic eye on protecting the reef. You may want to add something.
STEVEN MILES:
Yeah. It is a good question Jake and in large part I share Greg's view. We would not have been able to achieve this plan, we would not have been able to achieve this investment without the scrutiny of UNESCO up to this point.
And the chance to go back to them over coming years and reporting on our progress, on initiatives which really will take some time to see substantial turn around, the chance to report back to them, I think, is actually really important. It means this plan won't just go on the shelf and gather dust. It means both Governments and future Governments will be obliged to report back on their progress. And I think that's really important.
JOURNALIST:
What things do you think wouldn't have got through if this process hadn't been undertaken?
GREG HUNT:
Look, the honest answer is that it might have been difficult to have made the permanent dredge disposal ban throughout the 345,000 square kilometres of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and the 348,000 square kilometres of the World Heritage Area. It was difficult for Queensland to have to make those decisions about their ports. It was difficult for us to do something with regards to the dredge disposal ban which had never been proposed.
But the moment I felt most confident in the campaign was when, in front of 5000 people at the World Parks Congress, we announced to rapturous international applause that this dredge ban would be put in place. It's already law at the Federal level and I know Queensland is making very significant progress, and I thank them for that, for their part of it. So, that and the funding. The Prime Minister himself piloted the additional funding through the Cabinet. This became a matter of personal passion for him.
JOURNALIST:
How instrumental were activists like Greenpeace in helping keep the pressure on the Government?
GREG HUNT:
Well, I would say that local community groups were tremendously important and valuable. Some groups may not have been as constructive. I'll put it in that term. I know there are some groups that behind the scenes and even in public campaigned to have the reef list as endangered. That would have been a terrible outcome for Queensland.
It would have been at odds with the science, it would have been at odds with the policy and it would have done enormous damage to local communities. So I would say this, that the World Heritage Centre played a very constructive role. Domestic genuine conservation groups played an extremely important role, and others who may have campaigned for an ‘in danger’ listing should perhaps reflect on whether that was an entirely sensible thing to have done.
JOURNALIST:
Would you say Greenpeace was a crown of thorns on you were they?
GREG HUNT:
Look, I won't use that language. I will say that they are facing charges in Peru, having damaged one of the World Heritage conventions' jewels in their crown which is the ancient Inca Nazca Lines.
JOURNALIST:
But in reality Minister, not much would have happened without a push from these big conservation groups. Those small community groups you mentioned didn't have the clout to push the politicians along.
GREG HUNT:
Look, I think that whether it's Steven Miles in Queensland, his predecessor Andrew Powell, myself or others, there was an enormous sense of motivation within the Governments to take action. We are only in these jobs for, in the grand scheme of things, a very short period of time, and for me this is what I want to do with my working life – to make a difference on the reef.
JOURNALIST:
Minister, have you scuba-dived or snorkelled on the reef yourself?
GREG HUNT:
I have. I was very fortunate as a student to come up with my parents to snorkel the reef, I've subsequently scuba dived and this afternoon I'm off to spend 18 hours in the Whitsundays, and I am going to snorkel this reef this afternoon. And just to have a moment to myself to recognise that whatever we do, nature does it better.
JOURNALIST:
In hindsight was it crazy to have approved the dredge spoil plans previously?
GREG HUNT:
Look, we inherited five massive proposals for dredge disposal in the marine park. There's no doubt that under the law there was no other decision for what I had received. However, realising that that was the case, I set out to do three things. To change the project so as Abbot Point came onshore, and Queensland has helped very significantly.
To end the five projects which have been left as legacies for us and then to change the law. So we inherited what we inherited but the changes that have been made are deep and profound, and I don't think Australia or Queensland will ever go back.
JOURNALIST:
What real action will you take in the coming years to continue to protect the reef?
GREG HUNT:
So most significantly, what are the things that can actually help the water quality? Reducing farm run-off in terms of sediment and nitrogen. Right now we have a $7 million program that's in place for protecting and eradicating crown of thorns.
We have a $5 million program with regards to reducing sediment run-off, just announced a couple of weeks ago, and a $3 million nitrogen buy-back in the Burdekin region. That complements pre-existing work and we’ll work with Queensland on the allocation of our $140 million for water quality and their $100 million. So we're working jointly. Their chief scientists will be part of our advisory panel, and we're involved together.
STEVEN MILES:
So between now and the actual decision at the end of June we will be moving to demonstrate to UNESCO that we don't just have a plan, we have an intention to implement it quickly. So first of all, the recommendation calls for legislation on some of these fronts, and we will move quickly to legislate our port development restrictions.
But the main game in the medium term is the pollution run-off front and our pollution water science task force will have its first meeting on Tuesday and that scientific group will advise us about how to invest $100 million to meet our nitrogen run-off targets.
JOURNALIST:
Clearly, this isn't the be all and end all, there is still more to be done. What would you like to see for the reef's future generally speaking?
STEVEN MILES:
Look, I think that with these initiatives we will start to see a turnaround in coral cover and a turnaround in the quality of the reef and that is ultimately what we're here for. We said consistently our objective wasn't so much to avoid an ‘in danger’ listing, it was actually to avoid the reef being in danger and this process has provided the political focus and the opportunity to come up with a plan that can do just that.
GREG HUNT:
Can I, just before we finish, do something a little unusual. There are two senior officials here that have played an extraordinary role, from Queensland we have Jon Black, who, through successive Governments, has been a very, very able hand in helping to drive these changes, and from my own Federal Department, our deputy secretary Kimberley Dripps who has coordinated the Federal program both domestically and internationally, and she is one of the world's great reef policy makers. So with that thank you very much.
JOURNALIST:
Minister, can I have a question. One more question. How upset were you that a newspaper was briefed on the outcome of a Cabinet meeting for considering the proposal to strip nationals of Australian citizenship?
GREG HUNT:
Well, I don't talk about Cabinet decisions and I don't talk about newspaper reports of Cabinet decisions.
JOURNALIST:
But somebody is. Are you comfortable with the idea of stripping sole nationals of Australian citizenship if they have another place to resettle?
GREG HUNT:
Look, I'm not going to add anything to previous discussions. Today's a day about the reef.
Thank you.
(ENDS)