From the Cape down to Bundaberg, right to the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef, Queenslanders know that environmental protection isn’t an option.
Because when you protect the Reef, you protect Queensland jobs – 77,000 of them, supported by the Reef, which generate $95 billion for the Australian economy.
That is why the passage of Australia’s new environmental laws matters so deeply to communities across Queensland. It is vital to livelihoods, our identity and our economy.
That's why David Crisafulli and the Queensland Government need to back in these changes.
The Albanese Labor Government said we would fix our broken environmental laws to protect the natural assets that support regional economies and speed up approval processes. This is exactly what we have done.
One of the most significant reforms is the tightening of land-clearing rules near riverbeds and floodplains in the Great Barrier Reef catchment. This means that any clearing within 50 metres of riverside vegetation will now be required to go through the same assessment processes as every other development.
Illegal land clearing close to river systems sends sediment, nutrients and agricultural runoff straight into the waters that feed the Reef. Over time, that pollution smothers coral, fuels crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks and weakens the resilience of the world’s greatest natural wonder. The science on this has been clear for decades. The question was never whether action was needed – it was whether government had the courage to take it.
Now we have.
By strengthening protections along river corridors, these new laws will reduce the flow of pollutants before they ever reach the sea. That means clearer water, stronger coral growth and a more resilient Reef in the face of climate pressure. It means better conditions for fishers, tourism operators and the communities whose jobs depend on a healthy Reef and provides greater certainty for farmers and landholders.
The Crisafulli Government has talked a big game on tourism and how important the Great Barrier Reef is to the Queensland economy. Now is the Premier’s chance to put Queenslanders first, to work with the Albanese Labor Government to protect jobs now and into the future.
Australians did not vote for more noise. They voted for action.
While the Coalition argues amongst itself about whether climate change even exists, our Government is focused on building the clean industries, regional jobs and environmental protections that a net-zero future requires.
That is what our Government is doing. And from Cairns, from the Reef, and from the rivers that sustain it, the message is clear: this reform matters – and it is long overdue.
Originally published in the Cairns Post on Friday, 5 December 2025.