Press conference, Cairns
MATT SMITH, MEMBER FOR LEICHHARDT: Morning, my name is Matt Smith, I’m the Federal Member for Leichhardt. I’m here with Minister for the Environment, Senator Murray Watt; Assistant Minister for the South Pacific, NAIF and Tourism, Senator Nita Green; Roger from GBRMPA and Gareth from AMPTO.
We're here today to make an announcement around additional funding for the control of crown-of-thorns starfish, an additional $1.4 million, which takes care of $1 per starfish knocked off since 2012. These are a native species but when they reach plague proportions cause irreparable damage to our Reef. In culling these creatures, we are able to protect the reef and increase its resilience, which has been heavily reliant on the tourism industry, which although sometimes catches a bad rap, has been instrumental in ensuring that we have eyes on the Reef at all times. Throughout this process of controlling COTS and monitoring the Reef, the tourism industry has stepped up and made sure that we understand what's going on to our- one of our most natural assets on the planet. It is, of course, responsible for 64,000 jobs, and it is important that we continue to protect and nourish our Great Barrier Reef.
This is a great announcement and I'm very excited by it. It will include some innovation and research. We now have underwater drones to help monitor these things. I saw one of those in Canberra last week. They are truly impressive and it is a fantastic step forward. I'll hand over now to Senator Watt to go over more of the details.
MURRAY WATT, MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER: No worries. And do we need to drop the microphones?
[Laughter]
JOURNALIST: We will, just a little bit.
MURRAY WATT: Get the important things right first. How's that? Cool. For once I feel like normal height, looking around today.
Okay, thanks very much Matt. It's a pleasure to join you, Nita, Roger and Gareth here on a spectacular Cairns morning, talking about something that Cairns and all of Queensland is world-renowned for and that is of course the Great Barrier Reef. All Australians, but those especially here in Far North Queensland, I think understand the incredible environmental and economic value of the Great Barrier Reef. There is a reason that it's World Heritage listed and that's because of its outstanding environmental value. But as Matt has said, of course, this is an incredibly important economic asset for coastal Queensland, generating over 60,000 jobs that we want to keep here for the long term. And that’s why our Government has been investing so heavily alongside the Queensland Government to ensure that we protect and restore this incredible global icon and keep it in very good shape forever more.
All up, the Albanese Government is investing $1.2 billion between 2014 and 2030 in the restoration and protection of the Great Barrier Reef. And as Matt has indicated, today I'm pleased to announce a top-up of that funding, with a new $1.4 million going towards the research efforts that help us better target the Crown-of-thorns Starfish Control Program.
I want to pay tribute to everyone from the local tourism industry, of course the scientists, and everyone who's been involved in the Crown-of-thorns Starfish Control Program, which has been running here for some time, not just in Cairns but across the Great Barrier Reef. And Nita was just reminding me before we joined you today that we need to remember that the Great Barrier Reef is the size of Italy. We can't have everyone on all of the Reef all of the time removing those crown-of-thorns starfish, but by supplying this kind of funding for more research, it enables us to better target those efforts to make sure that we are engaging in early detection and getting on top of some of those crown-of-thorns starfish hotspots as quickly as we can. I think all of you are aware of the damage that crown-of-thorns starfish do to the Great Barrier Reef. One of those starfish essentially eats a dinner-sized plate of coral every single day. So, of course, the investments that we can make and the efforts that many people are undertaking to remove and control those starfish is a really critical step in making sure that the reef is protected and restored for the future. I might leave it at that but happy to take some questions, but I'll hand over to Senator Nita Green to begin with.
NITA GREEN, ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR NORTHERN AUSTRALIA: Thanks Murray. And you know you're in Cairns when there's a green ant on the microphone.
[Laughter]
But it is really good to be here and talking about the Great Barrier Reef, because we know that the Great Barrier Reef is an icon of our tourism industry, and it's been my pleasure to be the Assistant Minister for Tourism based here in Cairns and really selling the Reef to the rest of the world. But to do that we need to protect it and we need to make sure that it continues to be the best managed reef in the entire world. And I'm really proud to work with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, our tourism industry and all of our partners, in JCU and of course the Reef Foundation to continue this program.
We know that the Crown-of-thorns Starfish Control Program, you know, bats above its average. It is a good bang for buck when it comes to government funding, because it has such an important outcome for the Reef. We know that when you invest in crown-of-thorns starfish control, the reefs that have been damaged by bleaching or coral drupella snails and crown-of-thorns starfish control means that they will recover quicker from disturbances like that. And that's why we're investing this money. This money means that we'll have better understanding of the program and we'll be able to target it better as well.
Now, this was a program that was born out of collaboration from the tourism industry, and so in my final comments I really do want to pay homage to the creation through AMPTO of this program to begin with. They recognised that the tourism industry needed to give back to Reef protection, and they do that now through a variety of programs including the Tourism Reef Protection Initiative, a program we're really proud to champion as the Albanese Government. We know that only through partnership we can protect the Great Barrier Reef and continue to support the jobs of the people that live in this town and all the way through Queensland. The Great Barrier Reef brings tourists from all across the world to this part of our region and we want to continue that not just now but for generations to come. Thanks. I'll hand over to Roger, our Chief Scientist from GBRMPA.
ROGER BEEDEN, GREAT BARRIER REEF MARINE PARK AUTHORITY: Good morning, everyone. I'm Roger Beeden from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. I have the pleasure of representing what we do in terms of the work under this Crown-of-thorns Starfish Control Program. So we administer the actual control vessels that are going out, doing the culling work that's been mentioned before. But this couldn't have happened without the partnership that Senator Green was talking about before. The tourism industry have been looking at the crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks for a long time on the Great Barrier Reef. They go in waves, about 15 year cycles. And actually in the past, there had actually been the culling of starfish on individual reefs but not at a system-wide scale. What the science has enabled us to do is understand which reefs are the most important ones at which points in time, so we kill the right starfish at the right place at the right time. And of course this isn't a thing about tackling starfish per se, it's about protecting this incredible asset and the coral cover that underpins the health of the Reef.
As Senator Green said, really important for the resilience of the Reef that the reefs are able to bounce back from these events which are happening more frequently. So we're really proud of the relationship with the research community and the tourism industry that helps to target and deliver this program, as well as with Traditional Owners and a number of industry members that actually go out and actually do the individual culling work.
To give you an idea, on reefs that have been controlled in the current outbreak cycle, we've seen about a 40 percent increase in coral cover, whereas on similar reefs in the previous outbreak cycle, we saw about a 40 percent decline. Overall, it's protected something like 800,000 hectares of reef coral area, and of course that coral is then helping to drive the recovery of other areas of the Reef when they spawn as they do at the end of each year. So it's a program that we're really proud of, and particularly has worked in partnership with the tourism industry, represented by Gareth Phillips. We'll hand over to Gareth.
GARETH PHILLIPS, CEO OF THE ASSOCIATION OF MARINE PARK TOURISM OPERATORS: Good morning everyone and thank you for being here, Minister, Matt, Nita, Roger. The tourism industry welcomes this announcement. We've been culling COTS on the Great Barrier Reef for decades now. Initially, as just our moral responsibility heading out to the Great Barrier, seeing the animals, and just controlling those numbers leading up to around (the year) 2000 where we've created this concept of a dedicated program and proved that it worked on the high-value tourism sites, and in 2012 that partnership growing with science, management and government into the whole integrated pest management control. This investment is just key to supercharging that further. As Roger has been saying, the more hard coral we have, the more resilient the Reef is moving into the future. From a tourism industry perspective, that's not only good for our customers, but why we want our customers to see the Reef is that makes them connected to the environment and then they can make their own changes wherever they live - whether it's in Cairns or whether it's somewhere else in the world. They actually feel that connection and maintain that hope. So showcasing the outstanding universal values of the Great Barrier Reef and then seeing the science that's behind it, it's just key. So investments like this from the Federal Government and in conjunction also with some of the State investment is just an important part of protecting the Great Barrier Reef.
Yes, we go out there to snorkel and dive, technically take people swimming, but it’s to showcase how amazing this world icon is. It’s not a World Heritage site for nothing. So yeah, really appreciate this announcement and look forward to the program growing even further, and yeah, looking after the Great Barrier Reef.
MURRAY WATT: Thanks, Gareth. Any questions for anyone?
JOURNALIST: Yeah, if we could.
MURRAY WATT: Anything on this issue, before we go to other things?
JOURNALIST: Essentially this investment, is this going to help, I guess, boost some jobs for regional workers and anyone around- near the Great Barrier Reef?
MURRAY WATT: Yeah, absolutely. And Matt might like to comment on this as well, while lifting the microphones again to be a bit higher. As we’ve said, I mean, the Great Barrier Reef is a really important environmental asset, but it’s an incredibly important economic driver here in Far North Queensland and right along the Queensland coast. With over 60,000 jobs at stake in protecting the Barrier Reef, there’s a really important economic reason to act and to make these sorts of investments. So as an Australian Government, we'll continue making those investments, and I know the Queensland Government will as well. Did you want to add anything to that in terms of jobs?
MATT SMITH: Sure, why not. If I speak loudly, is this going to be okay? All right, cool. Anytime that you make an additional investment, there is obviously going be a flow-on effect for employment. For us, it is really finding that sweet spot with the tourism industry and the science, and we think that we're really getting that balance right at the moment. So there's good work out there. If you want to be a dive master, if you want to be on the boats, there's good work out there. If you want to be a scientist, there's good work out there if you want to be a citizen scientist. So this is a fantastic announcement today and will have massive benefits right across the region.
MURRAY WATT: And now you’ve got ants on you …
MATT SMITH: That’s all right.
NITA GREEN: I think we all do.
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: I think it’s raining ants…
MURRAY WATT: Anything else on this one? Okay, other issues?
JOURNALIST: How do we convince UNESCO that the Great Barrier Reef isn’t in danger?
MURRAY WATT: Why don't I kick off on this, and then I might invite Senator Green to add to this as well. You will have seen possibly a couple of months ago I attended the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting in Paris to argue for the World Heritage Listing of a particular site in Western Australia. But while I was there, I did take the opportunity to meet with a number of senior UNESCO officials to make the case that the Great Barrier Reef should not receive an ‘in danger’ listing when a decision is made next year. We've recently had the Director of the World Heritage Centre here in Cairns, and I know that Senator Green met with him, and she might like to elaborate on those discussions. But the argument that we're making is that both the Australian and the Queensland Governments are working incredibly collaboratively and with one goal in mind, and that is to protect and restore the Great Barrier Reef forever. Between the Australian Government and the Queensland Government, we are literally spending billions of dollars in everything from water quality improvements to crown-of-thorn starfish removal, to reef resilience, all sorts of things. And my understanding is that the director of the World Heritage Centre walked away quite impressed based on what he saw in terms of the effort going in there. So we will continue making the case. I've met with the Environment Minister from Queensland, Andrew Powell, about how we can be working together as a joint exercise. But as I say, in the end it comes down to the incredible efforts that governments and the community more widely are making to protect the Reef. As I say, Senator Green had that meeting last week and might like to elaborate.
NITA GREEN: Yeah, thank you. Thanks, Sam. And of course, protecting the reef is important for our community, community, but of course we want to make sure that that World Heritage listing is protected as well. And so, it was really my pleasure to welcome the director of the World Heritage Centre here to Cairns, to Green Island, to see the reef firsthand. And the truth is, you do have to see the Reef for yourself to understand how big it is, to understand how resilient it is, and to understand how important it is to Australia and Queensland. Nobody cares more about protecting the Reef than Australia - and I will say Queenslanders. And so the visit was all about introducing the director to the people that care for the Reef every single day. It was about talking about the reef science that we're implementing. We talked about some of the fisheries control and management that we're employing, because the Reef is the best-managed reef in the entire world. We're really proud of the efforts that we're making, and I think getting to see that first hand made a big difference. But of course, ultimately that is a decision for UNESCO, and we have- really, our government has re-established that relationship so that now it is a constructive and collaborative relationship, and we are putting forward all of the best efforts that we can to ensure that the Reef stays off the ‘in danger’ listing. Of course we will always face questions about our approach to climate change and the impacts of climate change on the Reef. But I say this, UNESCO itself described the difference between the previous Government and our Government as night and day when it came to climate change action. We've legislated our targets, we have ambitious targets and we're going to achieve them, and that makes a really big difference when you're on the other side of the world having conversations about how important the Reef is. The one takeaway I'll say, and I won't go into private conversations, but the one thing that really came out of that visit was that the Reef is a really special organism, but what impressed the director so much was how much people in this town care about the Reef and how important it is to our community. And I think that that is going to be something that stays with him and his team as they're making this really important decision.
JOURNALIST: Dale Last says coal-fired power stations will be around in Queensland for many, many years to come. We're currently, sort of, in the process of awaiting Queensland's Energy Roadmap, the state energy roadmap. What concerns do you have on Queensland's reliance on coal? And, I guess the fact that based on that forecasting, we're looking at least 2045 before coal is closed down or starting to be closed down.
MURRAY WATT: Yeah, I've seen those reports about the Queensland Government statements. And look, ultimately, it's a matter for the Queensland Government to make a decision about the power that it supplies to this state. But the point I would make broadly is that any delay in the transition towards cheaper, cleaner energy powered by renewables, backed up by gas and batteries, is only going to increase the risk of power price rises for Queenslanders and the risk to jobs that comes with that. At a federal level, we saw what happened when we saw a Coalition government, for 10 years, delay the transition to cheaper, cleaner energy, and all Australians are now paying higher power prices as a result of that. So we would encourage the Queensland Government to continue its work towards the transition towards cheaper, cleaner energy, so that Queenslanders get cheaper power prices and so that we reduce our emissions.
JOURNALIST: What concerns do you have about the implications on climate change if we keep using coal the way we are?
MURRAY WATT: Well, of course everyone understands- well, I think everyone understands, there are some members of the LNP who don't seem to understand - that delaying the transition to cheaper and cleaner renewable energy does put our climate at risk. And, of course, that then means that it's putting all sorts of environmental assets, whether it be the Great Barrier Reef, our wet tropics rainforests or other environmental assets at risk as well. So it's in all of our interests as Australians, as Queenslanders, to move that transition along towards renewable energy so that we're cutting emissions and cutting power prices.
JOURNALIST: So, I mean, you talk to other ministers around the country about this issue. When do you want to see the phase out start to occur? And when does it [inaudible] occur based on the prognostications of the experts?
MURRAY WATT: Yeah well, again, I'm not going to dictate to state governments when they need to close coal-fired power stations. And I think everyone understands that in different states, coal-fired power stations are reaching their end of life at different points in time. In New South Wales, for example, there are imminent closures of their coal-fired power stations, and that's why they're doing a lot of work around the transition towards renewable energy. Queensland is obviously not going to be seeing its coal-fired power stations close quite as early as some other states, but that doesn't mean that Queensland shouldn't continue its transition towards renewable energy. You will have seen the comments I made earlier in the week being very critical of the Queensland Government for cancelling particular renewable projects for ideological reasons. All that does, as I say, is increase power prices for Queenslanders, put jobs at stake in heavy industry, and of course it delays the reductions to emissions that we need for our climate.
JOURNALIST: Labor's cancelled renewable projects as well here in the Far North. Does the Federal Government also need to step up to the plate and do more in this space in terms of investing in renewable energy?
MURRAY WATT: We are actively investing in and approving the development of new renewable energy projects every single day. In the last fortnight alone, I approved a very large wind farm in North West Tasmania, which some people opposed on environmental grounds. But what we were able to do was to come up with conditions that manage those environmental impacts, while also delivering the cheaper renewable energy that the country needs. That's the approach we're taking as the Australian Government, and we'd like to see state governments do the same thing.
JOURNALIST: Sorry, I've been away for a while, so excuse me if this has been covered. Speaking of renewable projects, the Daintree Microgrid project has been stalled for years and years. What's the latest update on that?
MURRAY WATT: Look, I haven't got details on that, Connor, sorry, but happy to come back to you with some details.
JOURNALIST: Perhaps Matt or Nita might be able to comment?
NITA GREEN: Oh yeah, we've talked about it a lot.
MATT SMITH: So the Wujal Wujal Microgrid, which was a part of the initial Daintree Microgrid sort of expansion is, I think, due to come online possibly today, or at least begin work today. So there is renewable energy being facilitated north of the Daintree River. I met with Volt earlier in the week, and some of their investors to understand what they think has been going on and what some of the delays are, and I'll be having that conversation further up the line.
MURRAY WATT: All good? Thanks all.