The Albanese Government is taking up the fight to protect the Great Barrier Reef for future generations by submitting a significant update to the World Heritage Centre on Australia's world-leading marine park management.
As requested by UNESCO, the government has delivered a State Party Report on the state of conservation of the Reef.
The report outlines the sustained and ongoing actions being taken by the Australian and Queensland governments to boost the Reef's resilience to the cumulative impacts of climate change and other threats.
The Albanese Government has invested a record $1.2 billion to help build the Reef's resilience, and together with the Queensland Government our total Reef investment is now over $5 billion since 2014.
With an estimated value of more than $9 billion a year to the national economy, the Reef is Australia's fifth biggest employer, supporting 77,000 jobs. Every action we take to protect the Reef protects those vital jobs in tourism and other industries.
Recently, the Albanese Government passed the most significant amendments to our national environmental laws in more than 25 years.
As a result, land clearing is now restricted within 50 metres of a watercourse, wetland, or drainage line in the Reef catchment area - a major new step to protect and preserve the Reef's Outstanding Universal Value.
This follows the Government's decision to lift Australia's 2035 greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets, in recognition of the risk climate change poses to the Reef's future.
Australia is setting a new benchmark for coral reef resilience through one of the world's largest programs to develop and deploy large-scale climate adaptation interventions on the Reef.
We are also continuing to improve water quality and advance sustainable fishing practices, with growing involvement of the Reef's Traditional Owners.
Our efforts to control crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks have protected coral across more than one million hectares of Reef habitat.
Funding from the Australian and Queensland governments is:
- accelerating efforts to improve Reef water quality, by reducing sediment and nutrient run-off, repairing land and supporting healthy habitats
- advancing substantial reforms to sustainable fishing, reducing risks to protected species on the Reef and making the Reef gillnet-free by mid-2027
- delivering one of the largest and most advanced reef initiatives in the world through the Reef Restoration and Adaption Program.
We are also supporting global efforts to manage the impact of climate change, which is the biggest threat to coral reefs worldwide and most World Heritage properties.
The Albanese Government is acting on its commitments under the Paris Agreement and is on track to reach 82% renewables and achieve net zero by 2050. Australia has also set an ambitious and achievable 2035 target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 62-70% below 2005 levels.
The Reef remains one of the best managed reef systems and World Heritage properties globally, and Australia's actions have ensured that it maintains its Outstanding Universal Value.
Minister for the Environment and Water Murray Watt visited the Reef today and said the Government was committed to supporting a healthy, resilient Reef into the future.
"The Albanese Government is committed to protecting the Great Barrier Reef and the 77,000 jobs that depend on it," Minister Watt said.
"This report reaffirms Australia's ongoing action against climate change, improving local water quality, protecting our marine life, dealing with invasive species, and investing a record amount of money into reef programs.
"That's why Australia's management of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area is recognised as best practice.
"The Albanese Government is continuing to work with the Queensland Government, scientists, Traditional Owners and industry to protect the Reef and those who depend on it for generations to come."
The State Party Report on the state of conservation of the Reef is available on the DCCEEW website here.
