Portfolio — 27 April 2026

Minister for the Environment and Water Murray Watt announced $1.5 million in grant funding for OzFish to restore shellfish reefs in Moreton Bay, the sole ministerial communication on record for 27 April [TA-260427-climat-b11c448ca96a]. The grant funds the creation and deployment of 10,000 Robust Oyster Baskets (ROBs) across three Moreton Bay sites — the Port of Brisbane, Peel Island, and Fisher's Lease — over the next two years.

Volunteers will manufacture the ROBs from recycled shell material sourced from seafood businesses and restaurants, processed to meet biosecurity requirements. The ecological rationale centres on the filtering capacity of restored oyster populations: each oyster is expected to filter more than 100 litres of water daily, with cumulative reef restoration projected to improve water quality, boost biodiversity, and create habitat for fish and crustaceans [TA-260427-climat-b11c448ca96a].

The project is delivered through the Australian Government's Local Environmental Projects Program, a mechanism Minister Watt described as empowering communities to care for nature and protect heritage. The announcement reflects the portfolio's stated emphasis on place-based, community-led ecological restoration — a model in which volunteer labour and locally sourced materials are central to delivery, not peripheral to it.