MEDIA RELEASE: GBR FOUNDATION WON’T TACKLE THE BIGGEST THREAT TO REEF

THE HON TONY BURKE MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER
SHADOW MINISTER FOR CITIZENSHIP AND MULTICULTURAL AUSTRALIA
SHADOW MINISTER FOR THE ARTS
MEMBER FOR WATSON

THE HON MARK BUTLER MP
SHADOW MINISTER CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENERGY
MEMBER FOR PORT ADELAIDE

Almost $500,000,000 has been trusted to an organisation to protect the Great Barrier Reef even though that organisation apparently has no policy view on the critical threats to the Great Barrier Reef.

Under questioning, Great Barrier Reef Foundation managing director Anna Marsden said that the charity would "do what the reef needs us to do" yet made clear that this excludes action in combating climate change.

Climate change, coral bleaching, run off from land-clearing and ocean acidification are all in the frontline of threats facing the Great Barrier Reef.

Australia is custodian of the largest living organism in the world and we have an obligation to protect it, not simply protect it during media conferences.

This money way announced with great fanfare but the evidence is now clear that the money provided is not only beyond the historic capacity of this organisation, the organisation itself doesn’t even have a policy position on the greatest threats to the Great Barrier Reef.

We already had reason to be alarmed about the lack of probity surrounding this process. Today makes clear that this entire transaction lacks probity, process and policy.

It beggars belief that the Prime Minister Turnbull was present when this was negotiated and never thought to mention the words climate change, or land-clearing when giving away half a billion dollars to protect a Reef that is threatened by climate change and land-clearing.

You can’t be serious about protecting the Reef without having a serious climate change policy.
 
TUESDAY, 31 JULY 2018