Queensland government wants sediment from Abbot Point development to be dumped on land instead, report says

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

The deputy premier of Queensland, Jeff Seeney, will put a plan to state cabinet that would reverse the decision to dump sediment from the Abbot Point coal port development on the Great Barrier Reef, disposing of it on land instead, according to a report.

Seeney told the Weekend Australian he would then seek a meeting with the federal environment minister, Greg Hunt, to gain Canberra’s approval for the land-based solution.



As reported by the Guardian this week, it is understood that the proponents, North Queensland Bulk Ports, GVK Hancock and Adani Group, have been planning to lodge an alternative plan to avoid dumping sediment on the reef.

Hunt has already approved a plan to dredge 3m cubic metres, equivalent to 5m tonnes, of seabed in order to expand Abbot Point for an increase in coal exports. A proposal to dump the sediment within the reef’s marine park has also been approved by Hunt, although an exact site has yet to be identified.

Environmentalists have fiercely opposed the dumping, claiming it will damage the fragile coral and seagrass ecosystem. It has emerged that scientists at the Great Barrier Reef marine park authority warned against dumping in the marine park, only to be overruled.

Seeney told the Weekend Australian: “We believe dumping at sea is environmentally the worst ­option.

“We have a solution to put to the federal government that can be approved in time for the beginning of the dredging that has been planned.”

Seeney claimed the Newman government had started working on a solution to avoid dumping the material at sea since soon after it won office in March 2012.

A recent study suggests that coral disease is doubled when dredging occurs near reefs, although supporters of the dredging have repeatedly insisted it can be done safely and that the Abbot Point sediment will be dumped around 40km from the nearest reef.

It is understood that the port’s developers have been considering land-based disposal for some time and have identified a new site that was previously not available.

A spokesman for Adani, which will also be creating the enormous Carmichael mine in central Queensland to provide coal for export, has previously said: “We’ve long said that disposal options will adhere to the best practice and the best science, based on advice from technical experts and approving authorities.

“We are committed to ensuring the best options are in place to ensure this project is achieved, together with the best possible environmental outcomes.”

A recent report by the Great Barrier Reef marine park authority warned that the reef was in poor condition and was likely to deteriorate, with climate change and pollution cited as the key threats.

The Queensland government reportedly hopes the turnaround will persuade Unesco not to list the Great Barrier Reef as in danger.

The Australian also reported the state government intended to remove the state-owned authority overseeing the coal port expansion, North Queensland Bulk Ports.