Great Barrier Reef saved from ‘in danger’ status

Australia has successfully won a battle to prevent the Great Barrier Reef from being declared ‘in danger’ by the UN.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Australia has won a battle to prevent the Great Barrier Reef from being declared “in danger” by the UN, with Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek claiming Labor’s environmental policies had saved the reef.

The expert panel of the ­UNESCO World Heritage Committee on Thursday confirmed the Great Barrier Reef would retain its status and not be listed as “in danger”.

The decision comes after ­UNESCO in November had recommended the reef be placed on a list of sites in danger amid concern it was at risk of environmental degradation and poor water quality from agricultural run-off.

The federal government had received a draft ruling in August that suggested the reef would be saved from being declared “in danger” by the expert panel, after a report found significant progress had been made to address the threats posed by climate change.

Both the Australian and Queensland governments welcomed the decision on Thursday, emphasising recent investments into the reef including a total of $1.2bn by federal Labor.

Ms Plibersek said Labor was committed to better protecting the reef, arguing that the decision “wasn’t inevitable” and more needed to be done to address climate change and the federal government would continue working with UNESCO to ensure protection of the reef.

“Labor is acting on climate change, improving local water quality, protecting our marine life, dealing with invasive species, and investing a record amount of money into reef programs,” Ms Plibersek said. “Today’s decision is welcome news, but it wasn’t inevitable. Before Labor was elected, the reef was on the verge of being listed as in danger because of Scott Morrison’s weak policies on climate and the environment.”

Ms Plibersek has been lobbying her international counterparts at global environmental talks since a draft ruling recommending the reef be categorised as “in danger” was made in ­November.

Australia was forced to fend off attempts to downgrade the health status of the reef twice in two years.

Opposition environment spokesman Jonno Duniam said Ms Plibersek was “trying to pull the wool over the eyes of Australians about anything she has done to improve the environment at the Great Barrier Reef.”

He said the Coalition had delivered record funding for “conservation, protection and restoration” of the reef.

Former Coalition environment minister Sussan Ley in 2021 successfully lobbied World Heritage Council members after a draft recommendation attempted to list the reef as “in danger”.

Queensland Environment Minister Leanne Linard said the state government had invested more than $1bn to protect the reef, including funding towards water quality programs to tackle water pollution.

“UNESCO’s decision to not list the Great Barrier Reef as being in danger is an acknowledgment of the hard work the Palaszczuk government has been doing since 2015 to protect it,” Ms Linard said. “The job is not over and work to protect this iconic ecosystem continues. We will continue to proactively protect the Great Barrier Reef, working with the Albanese government, the science community, industry, conservationists, the community and ­UNESCO to protect this natural wonder.”