4.06pm – May 30, 2016

Staff reporters

The healthiest coral is earthy in colour, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten was told as he inspected the Great Barrier Reef through a glass-bottomed boat.

The area around Green Island, off Cairns, isn't north enough to be severely impacted by a recent mass bleaching event which scientists say left half of the northern section dead or dying.

But local Great Adventures tour guide Sam Greay, who has studied marine biology, said there were sections of stressed and dead coral throughout the area.

"You'll see sections that have algae growing on it, that's completely dead," she told Mr Shorten.

Ms Greay warns pastel and very bright coral is generally stressed out.

"Everyone thinks that's beautiful with lots of colour," she said.

"That's actually sick coral.

"The healthiest corals are usually the ones that are earthy kind of tones."

The 30-minute tour of mostly healthy looking soft and hard coral followed a pledge of $377 million in new funding to protect the reef, including $50 million for CSIRO marine research.

Mr Shorten was treated to a feeding while on the tour, with hundreds of fish breaking the surface to fight for food.

The boat was also followed by several species of fish chasing the vibrations.

"They know that this is where we have permits to give them a bit of food," Ms Greay said.

Ms Greay said the region was "quite lucky" water temperatures had started to fall.

"The reef is in recovery mode at the moment," she said.

However, as an inner-part of the reef the area suffered lower water quality due to nutrient run off from farming, she said.

"Outer reefs are healthier."

Labor's reef plan, which tops up $123 million already pledged by the coalition to a $500 million fund, will pour $300 million into improving water quality.

