The Queensland Labor leader has announced $100m over the next five years to improve water quality on the Great Barrier Reef and targets to reduce nitrogen and sediment run-off by 2025.



Annastacia Palaszczuk made the announcement in Cairns but did not detail how the $100m would be spent, nor how any measures to meet the run-off targets would be funded.

A taskforce, consisting of local government, conservation groups, primary producers, tourism operators and scientists, would be established to advise on how to spend the $100m. Targets would be set to reduce nitrogen run-off by 80% in key areas and total suspended sediment by up to 50% by 2025.

“We want to make sure that we get this policy right. We have been consulting with stakeholders out there and we want to work with farmers and we want to work with the scientists,” Palaszczuk said.

“This is also about creating jobs. We want to make sure that the water quality out here is pristine.”

Jon Brodie, chief research officer at the Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWater) and former manager for the water quality research and management program of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, said while it was good to get the commitment from Labor it was not likely to be enough money to improve water quality on the reef to the level needed.

“It’s a B,” he said when asked to grade the announcement. “It’s all comparative. It’s a commitment to reasonable further funding in this particular area so that’s at least a B. Their commitment to actually reaching ecologically relevant targets by 2025, excluding the money that they might need which hasn’t been talked about, is an A activity, but of course the money hasn’t been allocated to get there.”

Brodie said research was ongoing into exactly how much money was needed to improve the water quality of the reef but put it in the ballpark of $1bn over at least 10 years.

He said to improve water quality, agricultural practices needed to get better, particularly in the use of fertiliser in sugar cane and banana farming and in grazing.

There also needed to be repairs to gullies and catchments and the revegetation of streams and rivers.

“All of that probably won’t be enough by itself and we will have to look at, perhaps land retirement in some cases, or prioritisation of where we actually have agriculture going so it’s in the most appropriate places,” Brodie said.

CEO of environmental group WWF-Australia, Dermot O’Gorman, welcomed the policy but said the issue of crown of thorns starfish on the reef also needed to be addressed.

“WWF believes this mix of measures is a good approach to one of the greatest threats facing the reef,” he said.

“But the reef needs much bigger funding commitments from both sides of politics, and all parties need to step up actions to save the reef.”

Premier Campbell Newman used the ninth day of the campaign to announce $150m in funding for a new stadium complex in Townsville in Queensland’s north.

“This project will revolutionise Townsville’s sport and entertainment facilities and be a catalyst for further urban renewal of old industrial land near Ross Creek,” he told the Townsville Bulletin.

“It is a long-time plan to rejuvenate the city in the mould of Newstead in Brisbane and Docklands in Melbourne.”