Queensland’s World Heritage Area is under threat after the Government approved plans to create a massive coal port right beside the GBR.
On Wednesday, 11 December, the Abbott Government approved dredging off the coast of Queensland, which will create one of the largest coal ports in the world.
Tanya Puntti
Three million cubic metres of seabed are going to be dredged around Abbot Point, the spoil of which will be dumped into the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.
Flickr: kyletaylor / Creative Commons
Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt claims the dredging projects will be subject to the "strictest conditions in Australian history" and that the Great Barrier Reef will be protected.
Tanya Puntti
But an independent report released earlier in the year found that dredging could be more damaging than previously thought.
Peter Niesen
