The Australian Greens Party has warned that the conservative Liberal-National government is daring the World Heritage Committee to put the Great Barrier Reef on its endangered list by approving a huge coal port near Bowen in Queensland.
Meanwhile the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority could delay a decision on the expansion of the Abbott Point coal terminal until Christmas Eve, amidst calls for it to veto the government’s decision.
The expansion, which will require the dredging of three million cubic metres to deepen the shipping channel, would see the Queensland government receive a boost of $40 billion, and according to the Environment Minister, Greg Hunt, see the Great Barrier Reef “be made better”.
Mr Hunt has given the Abbot Point project the go-ahead, subject to what he said were strict environmental conditions.
Environmentalists, however, remain concerned for the health and future of the reef if developments are given the okay.
“We’ve got the largest-scale industrial development agenda the reef’s ever known at a time when the reef’s at the poorest health that it’s ever been,” Felicity Wishart, the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) campaign director said.
“You could end up with the environment destroyed for no perceived gain at all,” she added.
Mr Hunt has also approved Arrow Energy’s gas project on Curtis Island in central Queensland and a transmission pipeline to the island.
Australian Greens senator Larissa Waters said the Abbot Point approval is an environmentally disastrous decision, which threatens the reef, the world’s climate and Queensland’s economic stability as climate change impacts.
‘The Abbott government is doing exactly what the UNESCO World Heritage Committee told us not to do,’ she said.
The federal approval limits dredging to 1.3 million cubic metres of sediment per year, down from 38 million cubic metres previously proposed.
As well dredging can only be conducted in a limited window between March 1 and June 30.
Mr Hunt defended his decision saying there would be permanent improvements to the Burdekin and the Don Rivers.
Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and the AMCS have protested the decision.
“This is something the government could have stopped by simply saying no,” AMCS marine ecologist Dr Lissa Schindler told AAP.
“The state and federal governments have both made it very clear where their priorities lie regarding the Barrier Reef, but the Australian people feel very strongly about its protection.
“Perhaps we should send Greg Hunt the Wikipedia page on dredging so he can read what it’s all about,” Dr Schindler added.
One Response
What do you expect from these corrupt criminally ignorant idiots!! Time for criminal legal action to bring them to justice in the same way as war criminals.