The Australian government is confident it can stave off a downgrading of the Great Barrier Reef's health status by UNESCO but lobby groups remain unconvinced.
The latest plank of a strategy to convince the world heritage body the reef is in safe hands was unveiled on Monday - a complete ban on dredge spoil dumping associated with major projects.
"What people have been seeking for some decades is this moment in history," federal environment minister Greg Hunt said in Brisbane.
The ban covers the 345,000 square kilometre marine park controlled by the commonwealth, but not a 3000 square kilometre area which lies outside the park but still within the boundary of the world heritage area.
The "once-in-a-century" change still represented a total ban on dumping on the reef because the Queensland government has also agreed to outlaw coastal dumping, Mr Hunt said.
Since 2010, 84 per cent of the dredge spoil dumping (5.4 billion cubic metres) occurred inside this smaller area, according to Australian Marine Conservation Society spokeswoman Felicity Wishart.
"This is a welcome start but for us it's a missed opportunity," she told AAP.
"In essence, this ban would not stop that from happening."
A future Queensland government could easily exploit the situation by relaxing current state arrangements, Ms Wishart warned.
The federal ban applies to all past, present and future applications and a spokesman for the Queensland environment minister confirmed the state ban operates in the same way.
But it does not apply to dredging associated with existing ports for maintenance purposes - a practice Mr Hunt said helped prevent ship strikes.
"To change that situation would be to risk a catastrophic environmental outcome which I am not willing to do," he said.
Maintenance dredging amounts to more than 1.7 million cubic metres a year under current proposals, Greens Senator Larissa Waters said.
Queensland Resources Council chief Michael Roche stressed ports and shipping in Australia were already guided by some of the highest standards in the world.
And, he added, the government should be mindful that ports are needed for imports and exports across many industries.
Ports Australia condemned the decision in harsher terms, saying the federal government had allowed "misguided activism aimed at closing down Australian coal exports to influence policy".
The "unnecessary regulation" threatened $50 billion worth of trade per year and failed to address the real issues facing the reef, CEO David Anderson said.
UNESCO is due to make a draft decision on the reef's status in May before a final conference in June.
Mr Hunt, who will release a long-term management plan vital to that decision in the next fortnight, remains optimistic the reef will not be listed as in danger.
"I am confident, because I think it is not just a radical change in policy, it's backed up by physical action."
Public consultation on the ban is open until March 27.
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