‘Very hard work’: Senator in talks with council over Reef HQ’s future

The Special Envoy for the Great Barrier Reef has reaffirmed her commitment to secure funding for Townsville’s Reef HQ, revealing she’s been in talks to explore future options.

Senator Nita Green at The Strand in Townsville. Picture: Nikita McGuire

Special Envoy for the Great Barrier Reef, Senator Nita Green, has reaffirmed her commitment to securing funding for Townsville’s Reef HQ, revealing she’s been in talks with local councillors to explore future options.

“I met with Paul Jacob, the deputy mayor, and we discussed how this project could be funded in the future,” Senator Green said while Townsville on Wednesday.

“Everyone understands that Reef HQ funding came from the Townsville City Deal, a tripartite agreement involving Federal government funds, the council, and the state government.

“We’re going to talk to them about how Reef HQ could be funded moving forward.”

She stressed the community’s enthusiasm for Reef HQ’s return and its vital role in marine and reef education.

Claudia Brumme-Smith, CEO of Townsville Enterprise, Steve Price and Acting Mayor Paul Jacob outside Reef HQ which remains closed. Picture: Shae Beplate.

“I am a very strong advocate and will continue the hard work of negotiating with the council. It’s not always easy, but so far, the conversations have been positive, and I’m pleased to say everyone’s pulling in the same direction,” she said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, during his visit to Townsville last month, called Reef HQ an “important asset for Townsville,” but he also noted Mayor Troy Thompson’s current distractions, hinting at the local council drama.

“We’ve written to the council here. I understand the Mayor is a bit distracted at the moment,” Albanese remarked.

Senator Green confirmed she discussed the issue with the Prime Minister and assured that Reef HQ would be on the agenda at the upcoming Courier Mail-Townsville Bulletin Bush Summit in August.

The empty site of the proposed new Reef HQ aquarium in Flinders Street. Picture: Evan Morgan

“The community wants to understand what’s happening. I’m confident we will find a solution very soon,” she said.

Ms Green said the Townsville was lucky to be the base for the Australian Institute of Marine Science.

“They’re world-leading scientists and this report is world-leading as well,” she said.

“The report gives us a really good indication of where the Reef is headed and what is says to the government. Things that I’ve taken away from the report, I’ll speak up a little louder on.”

Ms Green said the government has invested $1.2 billion into protecting the reef.

“Ensuring that we’re investing in COTS (crown of thorns starfish) control programs, making sure that we are taking action to have more sustainable fisheries, it’s all imports when it comes to coral recovery.”
She said a big takeaway from the report was taking action on climate change.

“The most recent bleaching event showed us that and we want to ensure that we are taking action on climate change and we’re a global leader,” she said.

“We know that we want to have policy that’s based on science.”
“We need to continue investing in clean, cheap energy and making sure that we are doing all the things to have an economy-wide transition to a lower emissions economy.”

Originally published as ‘Very hard work’: Senator in talks with council over Reef HQ’s future