Joint media release: $91.8 million for continued protection of Great Barrier Reef

MP, Member for Leichhardt The Albanese Government is committing an additional $91.8 million to bolster Australia’s world-leading management of the iconic Great Barrier Reef. This brings the Australian Government’s record investment in Reef protection to $3.9 billion since 2014-15, securing the future of one of our greatest natural assets and the 77,000 jobs that depend on it.

Committed within the May Federal Budget, this funding will accelerate delivery of the Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan and Reef restoration projects. It will also build on the success of current Reef projects and support improved water quality monitoring and reporting. Through the Reef Restoration and Adaption Program (RRAP), Australia has developed solutions that could help our Reef, and reefs worldwide, resist, adapt to and recover from climate change impacts.

This work will inform efforts to deploy these solutions at scale to make the Reef not just the best managed in the world, but the most resilient. The new funding is comprised of $56.9 million for actions under the Reef 2050 Plan including restoration and adaptation projects, water quality monitoring and enhanced research, along with $34.9 million for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.

This includes: $30 million to build on work delivered through the RRAP Pilot Deployments Program to continue progressing these solutions to the next phase of real-world, large-scale deployment on the Reef $18.9 million to enhance efforts to manage Crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) through the COTS Control Program, which has culled nearly 1.4 million COTS and protected coral across approximately 1 million hectares of reef habitat $5 million to extend the Tourism Reef Protection Initiative (TRPI), to support Tourism Operators across the Reef to continue delivering Reef health monitoring, site stewardship and assisted recovery activities the Albanese Government is continuing to invest in data intelligence, with a $6.6 million investment in the Eye on the Reef Program, which informs management actions that support Reef resilience $3.5 million to ensure the critical, coordinated, on‑ground and on‑water management actions undertaken through the Reef Joint Field Management Program can continue.

This program, delivered in partnership with Queensland, is operationalising and scaling up the use of the latest drone technology to combat all forms of illegal fishing activity to provide persistent compliance presence, expanded reach and improved detection capability $1 million to boost works that support sustainable Reef fisheries, including a plan for the scale up of coral aquaculture.

Quotes attributable to Federal Minister for the Environment and Water, Murray Watt: “The Great Barrier Reef is home to incredible and unique species, which attract visitors from all over the world. “Together with the Queensland Government, our total Reef investment is now over $5.3 billion since 2014, which demonstrates our steadfast commitment to protecting it.

“This investment builds on the strong action we have taken for the Reef, including the 2050 Plan, the new Catchment Water Quality Strategy announced last week, and the amendments to our national environmental laws which introduced new land clearing restrictions in the Reef catchment to protect the Reef.” Quotes attributable to Assistant Minister for Tourism and Northern Australia, Nita Green: “As a world-renowned tourism destination with 77,000 jobs relying on the Reef, the Albanese Government is doing its bit to protect this iconic part of the country.

“It’s particularly great to see the TRPI program extended through $5 million in new funding, to ensure local tourism operators continue to play a role in citizen science and Reef stewardship. “This is a great program that supports the tourism industry, while making sure that people who know the Reef so well have a meaningful role in protecting it for future generations.” Quotes attributable to Member for Leichhardt, Matt Smith: “This $92 million injection of funds by the Albanese Government will support collective efforts to protect the Reef for generations to come, which is great news for locals and visitors alike.

“We’re putting our money where our mouth is when it comes to delivering programs that will make the Reef more resilient. “And we’ll continue to work with the Queensland Government, Traditional Owners, scientists and other stakeholders to deliver world-leading protections for the Reef and the industries that depend on it.” We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture.

We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.