Bob Irwin will use his Great Barrier Reef tour with Fight for the Reef to call on the Federal Environment Minister to dump plans to dredge the seafloor of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park at Abbot Point.
Plans currently sit on the desk of the Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke to dredge millions of tonnes of seafloor, less than 50kms from the Whitsunday Islands.
Bob Irwin Snr is conducting public meetings along the Reef’s coastline to call on people to join the Fight for the Reef, to end the massive industrialisation along the coastline of the Great Barrier Reef.
“I won’t sit back and let it die” , said Mr Irwin.
“I spent a lot of time with Steve making documentaries on the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef is the wonder of the world.
“But because of ignorance, greed, stupidity and irresponsibility there’s a possibility we could lose that forever.
“It just doesn’t make sense. Every Australian should be concerned about it.
“Dredging ruins the feeding and breeding grounds of sensitive Reef species and the sediment is horrible for the clear water that it Reef is renowned for.
“Tony Burke should not be approving the dredging of millions of tonnes of dredging right next to one of the Reef’s most beautiful locations.
“We’ve seen from Gladstone Harbour what happens when you dredge – the seafloor is ruined and the sediment spreads through the environment.
“With the increased traffic of these huge gas and coal ships coming through the Reef, the threat is very real indeed.
“Why should they be allowed to go across the Great Barrier Reef and risk destroying it? They shouldn’t be.
“At the end of the day, the Great Barrier Reef doesn’t belong to the Queensland Government and it doesn’t belong to the Australian Government, it belongs to every single Australian and every person around the world” , said Mr Irwin.
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Press Release, June 26, 2013