Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Waters for her question, although I don't accept all of the assertions she made in her question. The government takes the health of the Great Barrier Reef incredibly seriously. That's why we have supported record levels of investment in support as part of our reef protection efforts, which are designed to build resilience for the reef, to address the many challenges that it faces and to do that jointly with the Queensland government, noting the speaker sitting alongside you. As part of our reef protection efforts, we have developed the Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan. That has been developed jointly with the Queensland government, who work alongside traditional owners, industry, scientists, farmers and the wider community to implement that plan.

The Australian and Queensland governments are investing some $2.7 billion from the period 2014-15 through to 2023-24 to implement our plans to support the reef. These plans are comprehensive in terms of working to improve water quality and coastal habitats, tackling outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish, addressing plastics and protecting threatened migratory species. Australia's management of the reef is recognised as a leading example in terms of protection for large-scale marine protected areas, and was identified as such in previous UNESCO reports. We are investing in the long-term support for reef activities through the Reef Trust Partnership and with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, and we are continuing to invest further in terms of additional support for controlling crown-of-thorns starfish and working with farmers to improve reef water quality.

Overall, our efforts are about making sure we take the action necessary to sustain the reef as one of Australia's great environmental assets and one of our prime tourism assets, and we continue to support the communities in the reef to make sure they are able to promote its world-class attributes to the world.