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Great Barrier Reef threatened by new legislation

Queensland is set to enact water legislation that will pose environmental risks to the Great Barrier Reef and coastal waterways. The Natural Resources and Mines Minister Andrew Cripps acknowledged that the environmental principle – ecological sustainability – underpinning the existing Water Act would not be applied in this legislation. The package of measures will deregulate the use of local water by resources companies, including coal miners, expanding on a model already enjoyed by coal seam gas operators in Queensland. Critics say the reforms will allow mining companies to take billions of litres of water without the need for a licence and could have an impact on water supplies to regional towns. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority warns that allocating water to large users without proper assessment of the cumulative environmental impacts “may lead to unacceptable impacts to coastal waterways and Great Barrier Reef ecosystems”. Even the state’s coal industry described the legislation as rushed and said there had been insufficient consultation. But the ruling LNP’s huge majority in Queensland means the reforms are almost certain to become law, just a week after they were considered by a parliamentary committee. This is simply a disgrace! Related articles Plan to let miners extract billions of litres of groundwater ‘threatens Great Barrier Reef’ Can’t dump on Great Barrier Reef but you can next door

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