Activists from the environmental lobby Greenpeace have stepped up the pressure on the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) to protect the natural asset from dredging.
Australia’s conservative Liberal-National federal government last week gave the green light for a massive project to expand the Abbot Point coal terminal in north Queensland, adjacent to the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef.
AAP Newsagency reports the approval allows about three million cubic metres of dredge spoil to be dumped in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
The United Nations cultural arm UNESCO, which administers World Heritage listings, has threatened to change the Reef’s list to “in danger” unless coal port developments are scaled back.
The Greenpeace ship The Esperanza has arrived in Townsville after sailing up the Queensland coast to highlight the threats of industrialisation and climate change to the reef.
Greenpeace activists say they will seek an urgent meeting with the GBRMPA, calling on it to refuse to issue permits to allow the dumping of dredge spoil within the reef.
“The authority’s being asked to make this significant call on treating the reef’s waters as a dump without knowing the exact location of the final sites,” Greenpeace campaigner Louise Matthiesson told AAP.dre
“No one wants to see Abbot Point become another Gladstone.
“GBRMPA should make a wise decision for the future of the reef and reject the dumping permits.”
Ms Matthiesson said the Abbot Point expansion presented a double threat to the reef.
Coal was the major driver of climate change, which was the greatest threat to the reef’s long-term survival, she said.
Last week, the conservative Liberal National Party (LNP) Queensland government accused green groups of spreading mistruths and wanting to shut down the coal industry.
It said the groups were ignoring the facts that the majority of dredging material is clean sand that can be easily settled, and the dumping will occur well away from any coral reefs.
A GBRMPA spokeswoman last week said a delegate nominated by its chairman Russell Reichelt was considering the matter.
Greenpeace says the authority must make a decision on whether to allow the dumping permits by Christmas Eve, or seek an extension of time.
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