Industry Responds to Great Barrier Reef Protection Bill

The Property Council has provided feedback to the Environmental Protection (Great Barrier Reef Protection Measures) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2019.

The Bill aims to strengthen the Great Barrier Reef protection measures and improve the quality of water entering the reef. It also introduces a head of power that would allow for the introduction of a new water quality offsets framework.

While the Property Council supports the protection of Australia’s environmental areas, including the Great Barrier Reef, the action plan to protect this area must be proportionate to the environmental threat, based off evidence, and coordinated with existing and emerging policy responses from all levels of government.

The Bill comes at the same time the Queensland Government is reviewing its Environmental Offsets Framework, which was created in 2014 to streamline all Government offsets policies into a single framework.

The Property Council has encouraged the Government to use their existing powers to minimise potential impacts on the Great Barrier Reef, without introducing a new offset conditioning power.

Download the Property Council’s submission below.