There's one more thing you can do!
The Authority will be listening to the community's concerns when deciding whether to allow this dangerous proposal to go ahead. Every email they receive will add to the swell of public opposition to this proposal and let the Authority know Australians are counting on them to protect the Reef.
Can you take two minutes to write a quick email to the Marine Park Authority, urging them to do the right thing and reject the plan to dump dredge spoil in our Reef's waters?
GBRMPA is the Australian Government agency that manages the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Their fundamental obligation is to protect the Reef by ensuring that all human uses are ecologically sustainable and that ecosystem function and resilience is maintained.
These are just some talking points, feel free to use them to get you started. The email will be a lot more powerful if it comes from you and is written in your own words.
- Minister Hunt's recent decision to dredge and dump 3 million cubic meters of sea bed in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area at Abbot Point is worrying.
- You understand that GBRMPA is about to make a decision whether or not to grant the permit to dump the toxic sludge into the marine park.
- You urge GBRMPA, as the guardians of our reef, to reject this permit and ensure that the Reef is protected for future generations. The Great Barrier Reef should not be a dumping ground for industry.
- You are worried that the Minister has granted permission to dump in the reef, even though the specific location in which dumping can occur remains open to further investigation. If GBRMPA does not know the specific dump site then it is surely impossible for you to scientifically identify the implications for the Reef and therefore you must reject this permit.
- Tourism from the reef is worth $6.4 billion and creates 64,000 jobs.