In far north Queensland we are blessed with natural infrastructure supporting our lifestyle and regional industries. From the Coral Sea to the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Torres Strait - healthy land and sea is economically, socially, culturally and environmentally fundamental to our region's prosperity.

But our Prime Minister has declared he doesn't “buy the green ideology” and instead seems intent on turning popular environmental stewardship into an ideological battleground. Would we allow the revoking of World Heritage status for the Great Barrier Reef or the Daintree to allow oil extraction or logging to proceed?

Regardless of political colours, beyond the ideology, most of us recognise the value of these icons to our tourism industry – not to mention their ecosystem services – and would oppose such recklessness.

Federal and state support of our national parks, the backbone of our tourism industry, appears at an all-time low. With only 4.8 per cent of Queensland in national parks and 70 per cent of Queenslanders visiting them, it makes no sense to wind back their protection and management. On the contrary, an increase in number and investment in better management would be an investment in the future.

In Queensland we are seeing unparalleled changes to environmental law while our ability to object and contest proposals is being rapidly eroded. Laws that protect nature are being reduced while those that facilitate development are being "streamlined". At the same time, environmental lawyers (in particular the Environmental Defenders Office) are having their funding cut, making it even harder for the public to effectively participate in government decision making processes.