[Greens-Media] MEDIA RELEASE Liberals ignore community reef concern on World Turtle Day

[Vandeleur, Monique (Sen L. Waters)]

MEDIA RELEASE

Senator Larissa Waters
Senator for Queensland

May 23, 2013

LIBERALS IGNORE COMMUNITY REEF CONCERN ON WORLD TURTLE DAY

The Great Barrier Reef is being overrun by mining industrialisation, a Senate inquiry into the reef's management heard today, on World Turtle Day, at a public hearing in Brisbane.

"It was disappointing to see Tony Abbott's Liberal senators didn't bother to show up for today's hearing," Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens environment spokesperson, said.

"Tony Abbott's Coalition is ignoring community concern for the reef, which was made clear inside at the hearing today and demonstrated outside through the Australian Youth Climate Coalition's colourful turtle-themed rally to mark World Turtle Day.

"Tony Abbott's leaked reef plan is but a shell of what the Great Barrier Reef really needs - strong action to stop its overindustrialisation by mining magnates, which Labor has also failed to deliver.

"Today we've heard support from community groups, the tourism sector and the Law Council of Australia for my bill to adopt the World Heritage Committee's recommendations for no new ports in pristine areas and a moratorium on all development that will impact the reef until the joint-government strategic assessment of the reef is completed in 2015.

"Just two weeks ago, in the lead up to the World Heritage Committee's international meeting in June, the committee expressed serious concern at the lack of progress made by the state and federal governments on these recommendations and warned that the reef could be added to the list of World Heritage sites in danger in a year.

"World Turtle Day should serve as a timely reminder to the old parties that we must act now to stop the Great Barrier Reef from being added to the in-danger list.

"Turtles in the Great Barrier Reef live for decades, growing from tiny hatchlings up to a metre long, but even in their long lifetimes, their habitat has never been under the pressure it faces today, with the current rash of coal port developments spreading across the Queensland coast.

"Only the Greens are standing up to the big mining companies to save the Great Barrier Reef and its iconic marine life, which are too precious to lose," Senator Waters said.

The Senate inquiry will report on June 13 ahead of the World Heritage Committee meeting starting on June 16.