The Great Barrier Reef: big, beautiful and diverse
Declared a World Heritage site for its outstanding value to the people of the world
The Great Barrier Reef isn't just Australia's Great Barrier Reef. It's the world's Great
Barrier Reef. And we are custodians for all people in all nations not just now, for the
future. This isn't a task. It is a passion and a vocation and a deep purpose.
The world's largest coral reef ecosystem, with 3000 reefs
It is home to about 650 different corals, 1625 types of fish, 133 varieties of sharks and rays,
and more than 30 species of whales and dolphins
Amazing animals, from microscopic plankton to 100 tonne whales
Almost 2 million visitors each year The reef generates $5.6 billion for the Australian
economy and supports 69,000 full time jobs It is one of the world's best managed reefs
Australia has always shown our commitment and capacity to preserve the reef and we have
worked together with UNESCO to ensure it remains as healthy and protected as humanly possible.
The Great Barrier Reef is undoubtedly one of the best managed marine ecosystems in the world.
We treasure this environmental icon. Our plan is to ensure that some of the challenges
that are inevitable in a world where there is humanity on the foreshore and nature in
the marine environment are dealt with. And we want to do this by restoring and rehabilitating
any areas that have been affected and preserving the great majestic bulk of the reef which
is still and always will be the Great Barrier Reef.
I am honoured to have been appointed as Queensland's first ever Minister for the
Great Barrier Reef. The reef is a living wonder for all the world to share. I know all Queenslanders
take this custodianship very seriously. It is one of the reasons they elected our new
government. I am committed to put in place the safeguards that protect the reef and make
sure that it prospers and thrives. The complexity that we understand of the reef's
biodiversity and its ecosystem is mirrored by the complexity of influences that man is
having on that system. Through government incentives, through organisational leadership,
what we have seen is a real bringing together of expertise and only by doing that, having
that partnership approach, are we ever going to answer the really complex questions that
are at our forefront right now. The quality of the water entering the reef
is improving as a result of a partnership between farmers and governments to stop fertilisers,
chemicals and sediments running off farming land
We are culling coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish on some our most important reefs
and investigating new ways to control them We have better and stricter management regimes
controlling shipping and industrial development, including ports
A new shipping management plan sets out strengthened management to ensure shipping within
the reef, Torres Strait and Coral Sea continues to be conducted to the highest possible standard.
Turtles and dugongs have extra protection through new initiatives to deter poaching,
funding to help reduce marine debris and by working with Indigenous communities to outline
how marine resources are sustainably managed by traditional owners in line with customs
and traditional lore. One third of the Great Barrier Reef Marine
Park is in highly protected zones.
The national Australian and Queensland state governments are developing a long term sustainability
plan - looking ahead to 2050 - to ensure the reef is protected in an evidence-based, consistent
and sensitive way for decades to come.
In the coming decade, we are investing a projected investment of over $2 billion in reef management
and research.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are the traditional owners of the Great Barrier
Reef Region. Evidence of their sea country connections goes back more than 60,000 years.
There's approx 70 traditional owner groups. From a management perspective it is really
important to recognise that traditional owners do want to get engaged in managing their country.
Through our world-leading reef management we are protecting this great natural asset,
while enabling human uses that are sustainable, environmentally sensitive and contribute to
economic prosperity for all Australians. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park has always
had multiple uses, with major ports on the adjacent coast line serving industries, communities
and the nation. We are working hard to balance our economic
needs with the needs of the reef. Dredging for the development of new or expansion
of existing port facilities is prohibited outside the key long-established port areas.
Now, for the first time ever, we are imposing a permanent ban in law through regulation
to ensure that the marine park is never again the site for the disposal of capital dredge
material from the coast. There were five major capital dredging proposals
either planned or under active assessment in September 2013. There are now zero.
Over the next five years the Queensland government will invest a further $100 million in reducing
nitrogen and sediment runoff in key catchments. We have set really ambitious targets to reduce
nitrogen runoff by 80 per cent and sediment by 50 per cent. We will ban the dumping of
capital dredge spoil in the entire World Heritage Area. We will strengthen coastal planning
laws. And we will reintroduce vegetation management laws. The Queensland government is determined
to do what it takes to ensure the Great Barrier Reef remains one of the world's great treasures.
The reef remains an incredibly diverse and rich marine environment and retains the Outstanding
Universal Value it was recognised for when it was inscribed on the World Heritage List
33 years ago. Given Australia's well-documented record on
reef management and our strong management plans, the Great Barrier Reef does not warrant
a change in its listing status to 'in danger'
It is unique and it is loved.
And it is in safe hands.