$17.48 million boost for local guardians of the Reef

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Published
7th May 2024

The Hon Tanya Plibersek MP, Minister for the Environment and Water
Senator Nita Green, Special Envoy for the Great Barrier Reef, Senator for Queensland

The Albanese Labor Government is today announcing $17.48 million for council-led projects that will contribute to the protection and resilience of the Great Barrier Reef.

Nineteen councils across Reef catchments in Queensland will deliver a range of shovel-ready projects under the Reef Guardian Councils program that support Reef protection and restoration activities. Activities include improving riparian, catchment and wetland habitats, reducing impact of threats such as feral species, and reducing carbon emissions.

Projects will bring immediate benefits to the environment, support delivery of the Reef 2050 Plan, and increase local community stewardship and participation in Reef protection activities, including with First Nations people.

The Reef Guardian Councils program is a partnership between local governments and the Australian Government’s Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority which recognises community collaboration is central to better managing the Reef and surrounding regions.

Quotes attributable to Minister for the Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek:

“We are committed to protecting our precious Great Barrier Reef and supporting the 64,000 jobs that depend on it.

“Protecting and restoring the Great Barrier Reef requires all levels of government and communities to work together.

“This funding will support local governments across Queensland to do fantastic projects like controlling feral pigs, reducing sediment run-off, restoring habitat, removing marine debris and clean energy upgrades.”

Quotes attributable to Special Envoy for the Great Barrier Reef, Senator Nita Green:

“Reef Guardian Councils, whether they are big or small, play an important role in addressing climate change and improving the health of our Great Barrier Reef.

“There are nineteen councils between Bundaberg and Cooktown in the Reef Guardian Councils Program, spanning an area of more than 300,000 square kilometres.

“I’m proud to support our Reef Guardian Councils to deliver local, practical projects right along the coast and in our Reef catchments that will make a real difference to their communities, while also contribute to improving the health of the Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef system in the world.”

Reef Guardian Councils grant projects:

Cassowary Coast Regional Council

  • ‘Road upgrades to reduce land-based runoff’ - address the Reef 2050 outcomes by reducing the impacts from land-based activities by developing improved resilience and methodology in unsealed road management in the wet tropics.
  • ‘Upgrades and Strategies to limit the impacts of Climate Change’ – mitigate the impacts of climate change on the Great Barrier Reef by undertaking upgrades to solar network, install new generation capacity and enabling infrastructure to support the transition to an electrified vehicle fleet, and develop a Climate change strategy in 2023.

  • ‘Reinstatement and Rejuvenation of Wetlands’ - Traditional knowledge-led wetland re-instatement in Innisfail to engage wider community in a practical restoration demonstration while improving urban and agricultural water quality outcomes and contributing to the overall improvement water quality of the Great Barrier Reef lagoon.

See the full list of funded projects here: https://minister.dcceew.gov.au/plibersek/media-releases/1748-million-boost-local-guardians-reef

Reef guardian


(Photo caption: Cassowary Coast Councillor Jeff Baines with Special Envoy for the Great Barrier Reef, Senator Nita Green, Cairns Mayor Amy Eden and Douglas Mayor Lisa Scomazzon at a press conference in Cairns on Friday 3 May 2024.)