Julie Bishop writes to White House on Obama’s Barrief Reef comments

FOREIGN Minister Julie Bishop’s office has written to the White House disputing Barack Obama’s claims about the Great Barrier Reef.

FOREIGN Minister Julie Bishop’s office has written to the White House disputing Barack Obama’s claims about the Great Barrier Reef, arguing the world heritage icon is “not threatened” by climate change or environmental degradation.

Labor foreign affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek branded Ms Bishop’s actions an “extraordinary attack on our close friend and ally”.

The Australian this week revealed the Queensland government, as host of last weekend’s G20 summit in Brisbane, was considering a formal complaint to Washington over what it saw as an insulting and provocative speech by the US President that was based on “misinformation” about management of the Great Barrier Reef.

It is understood that US offic­ials contacted the Queensland government after the revelation in The Australian.

The Foreign Minister, in New York to chair UN Security Council terrorism talks, this morning said she was “surprised” by Mr Obama’s remarks and had since sent a “detailed briefing” to the Oval Office on the issue.

Ms Bishop said state and federal agencies had banned resource exploration and capital dredge dumping near the Great Barrier Reef, and were contributing $180 million annually to manage the health of the reef.

“I wanted to ensure the White House was well aware of the significant steps that the Australian government and the Queensland government were taking to ensure that the Great Barrier Reef is not threatened by climate change, by nutrient run off from agriculture, by mining or drilling,” she told Sky News.

Ms Bishop said she personally made clear Australia’s position on the reef to the US Secretary of the Interior, Sally Jewell, only days before the Brisbane speech.

Mr Obama, speaking at the University of Queensland on Saturday, said climate change “here in Australia” means “longer droughts, more wildfires” and “the incredible natural glory of the Great Barrier Reef is threatened”.

“I have not had a chance to go to the Great Barrier Reef and I want to come back, and I want my daughters to be able to come back, and I want them to be able to bring their daughters or sons to visit,” he said.

Ms Plibersek said Mr Obama’s remarks were consistent with those of the UN World Heritage Committee, which has recommended listing the reef as a “world heritage in danger” site.

“It seems it’s only the Abbott government that fails to accept that climate change is going to take a significant toll on our Great Barrier Reef, unless we act now. It is embarrassing,” she said.

Environmentalists argue rising ocean temperatures pose an existential threat to the reef, as does increased traffic from coal ports in central and north Queensland.

Ms Bishop said: “I hope the President does bring his family to see the Great Barrier Reef because it’s one of our environmental icons, it’s a huge tourist attraction and indeed about 70,000 jobs are dependent on the Great Barrier Reef being maintained.”

Ms Bishop said the UN Security Council talks overnight were focused on the rising influence of terrorist groups outside the hotbeds of Iraq and Syria. She had called for a UN special envoy to tackle violent extremism.

“It’s so important for us to seek to stop the spread of violent extremism, to destroy, dismantle the organisational structures of these terrorist organisations,” she told ABC Radio.

“Yesterday at the Security Council I presided over a Security Council meeting which identified practical ways to starve these terrorist organisations of fighters and funding and any legitimacy and to expose the hateful ideology.”

Environment Minister Greg Hunt accused the opposition of playing “cheap politics” over the Great Barrier Reef.

“It was the previous Labor Governments at a Federal and State level which were touting the development of mega ports along the reef,” Mr Hunt said.

“It was under Labor in 2011 that the World Heritage Committee first raised alarm bells about the health of the reef. But while Labor had the chance to act, they did nothing.”

World Wildlife Fund chief executive Dermot O’Gorman backed Mr Obama, calling for “new and unprecedented action” to protect the reef, including tighter controls on dumping and extra funding for pollution reduction.

Bill Shorten criticised Ms Bishop for waiting until after Mr Obama’s visit before attacking his speech.

“When you’ve got world leaders in the room, the Abbott government are pussycats; as soon as the world leaders leave Australia, then they turn into lions,” he said.

The government accused the Opposition Leader of hypocrisy, noting his reluctance to confront Vladimir Putin over the MH17 tragedy.

Mr Shorten argued Mr Putin should be allowed “to look strong” in international negotiations, or else he would refuse to cooperate.