One of the most biologically rich ecosystems in the world, the Great Barrier Reef is threatened by marine heatwaves, water pollution and unsustainable fishing.
Australians must unite and fight for our Reef.
We know what we need to do. Together, we must call on our candidates to protect our global icon for future generations.
The Great Barrier Reef needs:
Reef, Climate & Energy Forum: Meet the Candidates (Cairns, March 2025)
Thousands of people are already taking action to Fight For Our Reef by signing our petitions, writing and talking to leaders, and attending community events, like the Reef, Climate & Energy Forum in Cairns, where residents met their local candidates and asked them about their commitments to protect reef tourism jobs and strengthen Far North Queensland’s resilience in the face of climate change.
Our leaders have a legal and moral responsibility to protect our Reef and together we will hold them to it.
The Reef is so large it can be seen from space. Stretching 2,300 kilometres along the Queensland coast, its also vital to Far North Queensland’s economy and way of life, supporting 64,000 jobs, international tourism, fisheries, and cultural heritage.
But it’s future is threatened. The mining and burning of fossil fuels is heating our planet, causing devastating marine heatwaves and coral bleaching. After an unprecedented five mass coral bleaching events in the last eight years, the Great Barrier Reef is bearing the brunt of climate change.
Simultaneously, pollution from land-based activities flows into waterways after rainfall and flooding and finds its way into Reef waters. Poor land-use practices like land clearing and fertiliser overuse causes an increase in sediment and nutrients in the Reef waters, which can result in algal blooms and sediment loads that reduce light and smother seagrasses and corals. We need to restore our Reef’s inshore waterways and limit the amount of chemicals used on the land.
Our Reef’s ecosystem is also feeling the pressures of commercial and recreational fishing. The removal of top predators like sharks can throw the delicate ecosystem out of balance. Many people are not aware that damaging fishing practices like trawl fisheries operate in our Reef. These fisheries can impact fragile habitats and are responsible for the bycatch of endangered species.
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The Queensland and the Australian governments have committed to remove gillnets from the Great Barrier Reef and improve fisheries transparency to protect some of Australia's iconic species. The majority of gillnets will be removed in 2023, with all to be phased out by 2027. Threatened hammerhead sharks can no longer be taken and new net-free zones will prioritise critical dugong habitat this year.
In February 2023, the Federal Environment Minister rejected the Central Queensland Coal mine proposed only 10km from the Reef. After a six year community-driven campaign that highlighted the mine's risks, the government agreed with independent scientific modelling that sediment from the mine may have increased water pollution and threatened turtle and dugong strongholds.
After a year of nation-wide protest, the Queensland Premier stood up to Adani and vetoed the use of our taxes through the NAIF loan to fund their reef-wrecking mine. Over 70,000 of us made our voices heard!
The fight isn’t over. We must remain vigilant to stop new attempts to use our taxes to subsidise Adani’s Carmichael Mine.
After a long campaign, the Queensland Government committed in September 2019 to new regulations applicable to agricultural, urban and industrial activities within Reef catchments to limit pollution and meet minimum standards.
Chemical and sediment pollution threatens inshore ecosystems, such as corals and seagrass meadows, habitat of threatened turtles and dugongs.
The Queensland Government developed the Sustainable Fisheries Strategy in 2017 as a result of hard campaigning. As part of this strategy, fisheries management is set to be modernised and fish stocks returned to healthy levels. In 2020 we also celebrated an end to a loophole that allowed sharks to be finned on the Reef.
The natural beauty of our stunning Reef draws thousands of people every year. Help ensure the Reef is here for generations to come. Whether you become an online ambassador or join us to talk with community members at presentations, stalls or doorknocks, we need all hands on deck.
Our World Heritage listed Reef and the 9000 species that call it home are irreplaceable.
An expert scientific report contains 22 solutions to protect our Reef and there's no time to lose.
There is more to wetlands than meets the eye.
Wetlands are biodiverse ecosystems that provide multiple benefits to society and our environment.
Coral bleaching is threatening the future of our coral reefs and their sea turtles & colourful fish
The longer we wait, the worse it gets. We have to act now.
Hundreds of coal ships plough through Great Barrier Reef waters every year, shipping coal globally.
Just one collision, one mistake, or one spill could result in an environmental catastrophe.
Authorised by P. Gamblin, AMCS, Brisbane