THE PRESS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1981. Whose Great Barrier Reef?

Press, 12 November 1981, Page 18

THE PRESS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1981. Whose Great Barrier Reef?

The row going on between the state Government of Queensland and the Commonwealth Government of Australia is the most striking example at present of the differences that can develop between a state and the Federal Government in Australia. Mr Joh Bjelke-Petersen, the Premier of Queensland, is an ardent opponent of Canberra’s interfering in the affairs of Queensland. He resists attempts by Canberra to improve the lot and treatment of Aboriginals in Queensland; he favours, and sees enforced, restrictive legislation against such events as street demonstrations; and, like other premiers, is critical of the amount of money made available by Canberra to run the states. The present dispute concerns the establishment of a marine park over the area covered by the Great Barrier Reef. Canberra wants the park; Mr BjelkePetersen does not. He tempers his opposition by laying down certain conditions, but there are some deep, conservationist fears in Australia that his opposition is essentially one of principle. Since 1975 the Federal Government has had the legal power to declare the whole of the Great Barrier Reef a marine park. So far only a limited area — 2.4 per cent of the Great Barrier Reef area — has become protected. The enormous size of the Great Barrier Reef may be appreciated in the fact that , the 2.4 per cent protected area still amounts to 12,000 square kilometres. The reef stretches for about 2000 kilometres along the coast of Queensland and includes magnificent coral banks, reefs, and islands. The protected zone lies off Gladstone and includes the tourist resort, Heron Island. The islands lie some 60 kilometres off the coast and have presented some easier problems for the Queensland Government. The next zone due for protection is off Cairns and some islands lie within five kilometres of the coast. Mr BjelkePetersen is insisting on a territorial sea for the Queensland Government of five kilometres. Whether it is really the five kilometres he wants or whether the five kilometres provides him with sufficient excuse for thwarting the whole proposal will become clearer as the argument progresses. The proposal is certainly being thwarted: an important committee deliberated for some time and arrived at a conclusion, found laughable by many, that an area of three square kilometres should be protected to ensure the survival of about a dozen potato cod fish. Some

conservationists saw in this an indication that the Queensland Government would protect only those areas that had become politically sensitive. The issue has gained particular attention recently because the Great Barrier Reef hag been placed on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. One of the requirements is that the area to be protected shall have a buffer zone around it. This is one of the requirements that Mr Bjelke-Petersen opposes. He has mentioned the possibility of the discovery of mineral sands and Queensland’s right to develop them as one of his motives. The overriding motive, however, is undoubtedly preserving Queensland’s right to drill for oil in the area. Ecologists and others argue that to protect the marine environment of the reef and all the fauna and flora there, the whole area needs to be protected. Areas of drilling or mining might have a devastating effect beyond the immediate area of working. The question remains: what can the Commonwealth Government do about it? The Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, is seeking co-operation from Mr Bjelke-Petersen. So far Mr Bjelke-Petersen is showing few signs of being co-operative. In a typically flamboyant comment, he said that, even if Canberra sent. in the Armed Forces, Queensland would still defy the declaration of a large area as a marine park with the buffer zone. Long before Mr BjelkePetersen came to power, Queensland had its own navy which it put under the control of the Commonwealth. Perhaps Mr BjelkePetersen is now looking back nostalgically. Mr Bjelke-Petersen holds power in Queensland because of a gerrymander. It is difficult to estimate whether he speaks on this issue for a majority of Queenslanders. Even if he does so, the preservation of a unique treasure such as the Great Barrier Reef is not something that can be left to certain Queenslanders alone, though Mr Bjelke-Petersen has been known to say that, “What is good for Queensland is good for Australia.” What position his wife will take on this will be interesting. She was elected as a Queensland senator to the Federal Parliament and, since she has worked in Canberra, she has been observed to take a broader view of Australia than she used to. This might lead tQ yet more friction between Canberra and the state Government.