Labor to spend $100 million on reef

Labor has promised $100 million over five years to help protect the Great Barrier Reef.

australia, queensland, great barrier reef, coral islets of the capricorn group.

(File)

Labor has promised $100 million to protect the Great Barrier Reef, but can't specifically say what the money will be used for.

Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk made the announcement on Green Island, off the Cairns coast, on Wednesday after taking a reef tour in a glass bottom boat alongside her environment spokeswoman Jackie Trad.

Ms Palaszczuk said a "high-level taskforce" would provide recommendations to government to determine how best to spend the $100 million over five years.

The taskforce will have several targets, including reducing nitrogen run off by up to 80 per cent in key catchment areas by 2025.

But Ms Trad would not be drawn on what concrete initiatives the $100 million would be spent on and whether the taskforce's targets would be legislated.

"We will make that decision after we listen to the evidence, after we listen to the experts," Ms Trad said.

"Unlike (Premier) Campbell Newman who has picked a fight with everybody in our community ... (and) who doesn't believe in the science of climate change."

Ms Palaszczuk says it's too early to detail exactly what the money will be spent on because it was just the start of Labor's reef plan.

She says Labor will "absolutely" prioritise addressing debt and reveal its long-awaited fiscal strategy on Friday, 15 days before the state poll.

The opposition leader also hit out at Mr Newman's promise of $150 million to go towards a new Townsville football stadium, saying Labor had already committed $100 million to the project without having to sell off the city's port.

Ms Palaszczuk has already made two visits during the campaign to Cairns, a traditional Labor seat the party hopes to win back from Liberal National Party (LNP) MP Gavin King, who holds it with a 8.9 per cent margin.

LABOR'S REEF POLICY

* $100 million over five years

* Reduce nitrogen run-off by up to 80 per cent in key areas, like the Burdekin, by 2025

* Reduce total suspended sediment run-off by up to 50 per cent by 2025

* Implement taskforce with members from local government, conservation groups, primary producers, tourism operators and scientists

* Lobby federal government for more reef protection funding

(Source: Queensland Labor)


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Source: AAP


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