The Great Barrier Reef marine park authority identified serious reef health concerns related to a large marina development it later approved, according to the ABC.



The marina is part of a $600m eco-tourism resort on Great Keppel Island, which includes an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Greg Norman, 700 luxury villas, 350 apartments, a beachfront hotel and a 250-berth marina.

The Queensland and federal governments approved the resort but it was up to the authority to grant permits for the marina project, which requires dredging, and sewage management systems for the resort.

The authority ultimately granted those permits, with conditions, but documents obtained by the ABC under freedom of information laws show a raft of concerns were raised by officers within the organisation about the potential for reef harm.

Those concerns included that the environmental impact statement, as it related to a proposed sewage discharge pipeline and sewage irrigation scheme, was often contradictory, vague or missing key information.

Marine park officers also warned: "The cumulative impacts of this development on water quality and coral communities on the vulnerable fringing reefs of Great Keppel Island cannot be adequately mitigated."

Just months after the concerns were raised inside the authority it issued a permit for the development of the marina and sewage facilities.

Greens Senator Larissa Waters said she was worried the authority had come under political pressure to approve developments that might harm the reef.

Waters said it was worrying the permits were issued despite concerns that the conditions imposed would not be strong enough to prevent reef damage.

"I'm worried that [authority] is coming under political pressure to approve things, even though they hold internal concerns about the damage those projects might do to the reef," Waters told the ABC.

"I think that's wrong and I don't think that's [the authority’s] fault. I think that's the fault of the government of the day letting it be known that things must be approved for political reasons."

The marine park authority and resort developer, Tower Holdings, did not respond to requests for comment.

