The Great Barrier Reef Protection Amendment Bill passed in Queensland Parliament last night represents a breakthrough in the effort to protect the World Heritage icon from fertiliser and mud pollution, WWF said today.
The amendments made by Queensland Environment Minister Kate Jones will maximise industry acceptance of this landmark legislation and help around 4,000 sugar and cattle farmers in the Great Barrier Reef catchment area to optimise fertiliser and grazing practices.
The Federal Government's Reef Outlook Report released last month rated nutrient and pesticide runoff as a "very high risk" - the highest category of risk - to the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem.
It revealed as much as a third of the reef was exposed to pesticides, with harmful chemicals being widely detected in waters and wildlife of the reef waters and its catchment.
"Premier Anna Bligh and Minister Kate Jones have acted swiftly since re-election to protect the reef from harmful pollution and we support today's amendments, which will increase the chances of the legislation being accepted by farmers," said WWF's Reef and Rangelands Leader Nick Heath.
"The legislation is now more supportive of basic agricultural management practices that will assign out-dated and highly risky farming methods to the past. This is a unique step for agricultural reforms in Australia and indeed globally.
"It could trigger major environmental benefits in other sensitive locations if other governments were to use this approach to ensure agriculture is a responsible 21st Century industry," Heath said.
"As always, however, the devil is in the detail. We trust the Queensland Government will consult closely on riverbank buffers."
WWF will also seek stronger reform from the federal government over the sale of toxic farm pesticides in the Great Barrier Reef catchment over coming months.
