The Australian Greens Party has called on the authority in charge of the Great Barrier Reef to reject dumping from the giant Abbot Point coal port project following the announcement by the Australian government of an inquiry into dredging at another Queensland port.
The Australian Greens made the call on the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) following today’s announcement by the Environment Minister in the conservative Liberal-National government of an independent commission of inquiry into dredging at Gladstone Harbour.
The independent commission of inquiry with sweeping investigative powers will examine Australia’s biggest dredging project, which coincided with mass deaths of fish, turtles, dolphins and dugongs inside the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage area.
Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt said the terms of reference for the inquiry would be finalised this week but would be broad enough to properly investigate the Gladstone Harbour dredging project
It will also examine the failure of a wall designed to retain dredge spoils and the management of the port on the central Queensland coast.
The Australian Greens say the GBRMPA should now refuse offshore sludge dumping at Abbot Point.
“How can even more reef dumping be approved, when we’re still investigating the destruction caused last time?” Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens environment spokesperson, said.
“We can’t allow the devastation in Gladstone, which tourism and fishing operators are still suffering from, to be repeated anywhere else in the Great Barrier Reef.
“Mass dolphin, dugong and turtle deaths and outbreaks of fish mutilations followed the dredging and dumping at Gladstone Harbour.
“And now the Abbott Government has approved another three million cubic metres of dredging and dumping at Abbot Point to build one of the world’s largest coal ports in the Great Barrier Reef.
“The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has the power to stop the offshore dumping of this sludge and require it to be disposed safely on land.
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With the recent Gladstone Harbour revelations piling on top of the mountains of evidence against reef dumping, and giving rise to an independent commission of inquiry, GBRMPA should refuse the offshore dumping at Abbot Point.
“While we welcome this further inquiry, which follows calls from the Australian Greens and community for an independent investigation, we will be closely scrutinising its terms of reference to ensure it is transparent, independent and properly resourced.
“The inquiry must be free from political and industry influence, open to the public and have the power to compel witnesses to appear and documents to be made public; otherwise it will be just a political band aid,” Senator Waters said.
