PM Bill Shorten and Shadow Environment Minister, Mark Butler outline their plan for saving the Great Barrier Reef

Shorten says Barrier Reef is in 'serious danger'

Billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson has made Australia’s campaigning leaders look rather useless with his generous pledge to support one of the nation’s most valuable assets.

The Englishman today promised to donate money towards protecting the Great Barrier Reef, on the same day Bill Shorten announced his commitment of $377 million on top of the Coalition’s pledge towards preserving the natural wonder.

But the two main parties may have been dismayed to find that the Virgin founder appears more popular with some Australians.

“I like Branson, I’d vote for him if he was a runner, he’s got more charisma,” Chris Cain, who runs parasailing trips on the reef, told news.com.au today as Mr Shorten arrived at Green Island to announce $500 million over five years to protect the “national treasure.”

Katrina Wilson, a 22-year-old from Queensland holidaying on the island, told news.com.au, “I’ve not heard much about Bill Shorten but I know about Branson.”

The Opposition Leader’s offer was more generous than that of Branson, who revealed a three-year partnership with Greening Australia to help raise $10 million for the first stage of an estimated $100 million project to address soil erosion.

Environment Minister Greg Hunt also today revealed an extra $6 million for an additional control vessel to tackle crown-of-thorns starfish.

Voters sounded happy to accept Branson’s help.

“He’s a businessman in tourism, he’s a good man, I even read some of his books,” said Andrea Cavaliere, assistant general manager at Reflection Pool Bar on the island.

Peter Ferguson, from Wellington, NSW, added: “Something has to be done. Anyone prepared to do it should be involved.”

Alan Richardson, a 43-year-old lawyer from Victoria, said: “Australians are very apathetic so the fact anyone cares at all is great. I’ve given up on Australians.”

But some were less impressed. “They pluck these figures out of the air,” said 74-year-old David Peplow from Coffs Harbour. “A lot of it is pie in the sky talk.

“Your ears prick up and you listen, and then eight months down the line it goes quiet.”

Bill Shorten told news.com.au that Branson’s announcement in Sydney was “good news”.

“We must do more to protect the Reef and the tens of thousands of jobs that it supports - anything that helps with that is welcome.

“I wish Malcolm Turnbull cared as much about our Reef as Richard Branson does.”

The Great Barrier Reef is suffering through one of its worst crises in recorded history.

Ninety-three per cent of the reef has experienced bleaching, with experts warning the Great Barrier Reef will likely be dead within two decades due to global warming.

Evidence also points to a huge coral bleaching event linked with the El Niño weather system.

A third of corals in 84 reefs surveyed along the northern and central sections of the Great Barrier Reef were found to be dead or dying.

The worst affected areas were north of Port Douglas up to Papua New Guinea.

The scientists found climate change increased ocean temperatures by 1C during this year’s March bleaching event, which authorities have called the worst on record.

Andrew King, a scientist from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science, said: “Our research showed this year’s bleaching event is 175 times more likely today than in a world where humans weren’t emitting greenhouse gases. We have loaded the odds against the survival of one of the world’s greatest natural wonders.”