Reef’s ’poor’ score

Government optimistic for future reports

THE Palaszczuk Government will use bleak findings from the latest Great Barrier Reef Report Card to lobby Canberra for help.

The Reef received a fifth consecutive “poor” – or D grade – rating in the 2015 Report Card released yesterday.

Coral conditions in the Wet Tropics region were again graded “moderate” but sea grass and overall water quality remained “poor”.

Queensland’s Environment Minister Steven Miles expected next year’s report to show improvement.

“This report relates to the period leading up to June 2015. Since then, we’ve done a lot,” he said.

“We would expect to see, in coming report cards, improvements in the water quality because of these additional efforts and because of the significant increase in investment that is particularly flowing through from this financial year to 2016-17. But there is no doubt that we need to do more.”

One recommendation from the Great Barrier Reef Water Science Taskforce, released in May, was for significant investment to tackle nutrient run-off in the Wet Tropics.

The State Government has committed an extra $22 million for 2016-17 to implement some of the taskforce recommendations.

“At the same time the Federal Government’s share of contributions will fall to historic lows,” Mr Miles said.

“So we do need these kinds of report cards to send a message to Canberra that we need more assistance.”

Only 27 per cent of Wet Tropics sugarcane land and 35 per cent of grazing land were operating under “best management plans” as of June last year.

These figures are expected to reach 90 per cent under targets set in the 2013 Reef Water Quality Protection Plan.

Australian Greens Deputy Leader Senator Larissa Waters said the latest report card was a “fail” for the State and Federal governments.

“There has been effectively zero improvement since last year,” she said.

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