[Greens-Media] MEDIA RELEASE: Greens will work to plug holes in government’s plan for legislation banning Reef dumping

[Vandeleur, Monique (Sen L. Waters)]

Senator Larissa Waters
Senator for Queensland

Thursday, 13 November 2014
Greens will work to plug holes in government’s plan for legislation banning Reef dumping

The Abbott Government’s proposed legislative ban on Reef dumping, announced today, doesn’t rule out further offshore sludge dumping at Gladstone or plans for dumping offshore from Townsville and Cairns.

“While putting commitments into law is welcome, Minister Hunt's Reef dumping plan has so many inbuilt loopholes that it will just mean business as usual – the Reef being treated like a rubbish tip for dredge sludge," Senator Waters, Australian Greens environment spokesperson, said.

“Minister Hunt’s carefully worded commitment doesn’t rule out any of the dumping projects currently proposed, which will not satisfy UNESCO enough to remove the threat of a 'World Heritage In Danger' listing for the Great Barrier Reef.

“As Minister Hunt is only applying this to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park rather than the larger World Heritage Area, plans for further dumping off Gladstone and new dumping off Townsville won’t be stopped because they are set to dump in the World Heritage Area.

“The distinction between dumping in the Marine Park and the World Heritage Area is ridiculous because dredge spoil doesn’t just sit there once dumped. It travels kilometres, with wind, tide, current and wave action, to smother corals and seagrass beds.

“It’s also unclear whether the Cairns dumping project would be stopped as Minister Hunt is talking about "future projects" and the Cairns project has already begun the approval process.

“What’s more, only dumping for capital dredging is included in Minister Hunt's commitment, ignoring the regular maintenance dredging that dumps spoil into the Reef also.

“The Greens will try to convince Minister Hunt to improve the proposed legislative ban so that it applies to the entire World Heritage Area, projects that have already been applied for and maintenance dredging.

"We will push for any coastal reclamation or onshore dumping alternatives to be properly assessed through environmental impact statements, so that impacts on coastal habitat and wetlands which filter to the Reef are properly scrutinised.

“Disgracefully, Minister Hunt has already failed to require an environmental impact statement for the Newman Government’s plan to dump the Abbot Point dredge spoil on internationally significant wetlands right on the Reef’s coastline,” Senator Waters said.

Contact – Monique Vandeleur 0419 626 725