The federal Environment Minister is deciding whether dredge spoil can be dumped on or near wetlands on the Great Barrier Reef’s coastline without an environmental impact statement.

“It’s disgraceful that Minister Hunt is deciding whether millions of tonnes of dredge spoil can be dumped on or near the Caley Valley wetlands, bordering the Great Barrier Reef, without even properly assessing the environmental impacts.

The Australian Greens welcome Australian Academy of Science’s strong warning today that the Abbott and Newman governments’ Reef 2050 Plan fails to protect the Great Barrier Reef.

“The science is clear – the Abbott and Newman governments’ plan for our Great Barrier Reef grossly fails this World Heritage Area,” Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens environment spokesperson, said.

The Abbott Government is so desperate to please its big business buddies that it’s making out like there’s progress on the one-stop shop, when actually it’s dead.

“It’s utterly bizarre that the Abbott Government keeps talking about the one-stop shop today, when it’s not even included in its repeal day bill

“The Abbott Government knows that its enabling legislation for the one-stop shop is in the Senate and the Greens have secured the numbers to stop it.

The Australian Greens are calling on Queensland Environment Minister Powell to explain why he met with Deutsche Bank in Germany after the bank ruled out financing the Abbot Point coal port expansion.

The meeting in September was revealed late last night in Senate Estimates as a result of questioning of the federal Environment Department by Queensland Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens environment spokesperson.

The old parties have today refused to support an Australian Greens’ motion calling on the Abbott Government to rule out using federal taxpayer funders to pay the big mining companies to dump their dredge sludge on wetlands for the Abbot Point coal port.

“The Newman Government wants to use state and federal taxpayer money to pay for the big mining companies to dump their sludge spoil in or near the nationally significant Caley Valley wetlands,” Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens environment, spokesperson.

Big business outcry over the Senate saving federal environment protection from Tony Abbott’s one-stop shop shows complete disregard for our most important natural assets, many of which underpin sustainable industries, say the Australian Greens.

“Big business wants to scrap federal environment protections that have been in place for more than 30 years through Tony Abbott’s one-stop shop but thanks to the Greens’ leadership, the Senate won’t let that happen,” Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens environment spokesperson, said.

 The Australian Greens condemn George Christensen’s statement labelling people who care about the Great Barrier Reef as terrorists.

“Mr Christensen is referring to people who oppose the industrialisation of the Great Barrier Reef as terrorists and in the current climate that is utterly unacceptable, wrong and incredibly dangerous and irresponsible,” Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens environment spokesperson, said.

Instead of wasting time with a secret trip to lobby the World Heritage Committee, as reported today, the Abbott and Newman governments should be following the World Heritage Committee’s recommendations, say the Australian Greens.

The draft Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan, released today, does nothing to stop the onslaught of dredging and dumping already applied for along the Reef’s coast and the mass export of coal through the Reef to exacerbate climate change, say the Australian Greens.

“The plan ignores the fact that exporting millions of tonnes of coal out through the Reef will exacerbate climate change, the biggest threat facing this iconic World Heritage Area,” Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens environment spokesperson, said.

The Australian Greens welcome the Australian Marine Conservation Society report out today about the Caley Valley wetlands which the Newman Government’s proposal for disposal of the Abbot Point dredge sludge could threaten.

“The Newman Government may have realised that the cheapest and dirtiest option of dumping dredge spoil in the Great Barrier Reef is not acceptable to Queenslanders, scientists or internationally,” Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens environment spokesperson, said.