THE HON TANYA PLIBERSEK MP
MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TELEVISION INTERVIEW
TODAY SHOW
TUESDAY, 25 JUNE 2024
SUBJECTS: GREAT BARRIER REEF KEPT OFF UNESCO’S ‘IN DANGER’ LIST, APPOINTMENT OF MATT KEAN TO THE CLIMATE CHANGE AUTHORITY, PETER DUTTON'S SON.
SARAH ABO: Well, the Great Barrier Reef has officially been left off UNESCO's ‘in danger’ list in a major win for the Australian Government.
KARL STEFANOVIC: It's all that. Minister for the Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek joins us now live. Good morning, Minister, thanks for your time.
TANYA PLIBERSEK, MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER: Good morning.
STEFANOVIC: This is great news, and I know you've done a lot of hard work to make sure that didn't happen. How do you feel?
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Yeah, look, I feel enormously relieved, because, of course, there's tens of thousands of jobs that rely on the Great Barrier Reef for tourism in particular, but I think this is also a really strong acknowledgement of the effort and of course the money that Australia has put into protecting the Great Barrier Reef.
We know that it's special, we know it's our job to protect it, we know that climate change is a real risk to the barrier reef, and so both by committing to reducing carbon pollution, but also by direct investment in things like combating Crown‑of‑thorns starfish and doing work on land to stop, you know, water with sediment running on to the reef, you know, phasing out gill net fishing is there's a bunch of things that we've done that have been recognised now by UNESCO, and that means that they've said that they don't think that the reef is in any more danger, I guess, than any other reef around the world.
ABO: And that's all in recovery, isn't it, I mean there's not much you can do to prevent it, it has to be done after.
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Yeah, look, the bleaching has been an issue not just in the Great Barrier Reef this year, but reefs all over the world. All over the world we're seeing the impact of warming waters on coral reefs, and we're doing some of the most incredible science in Australia to try and help reefs recover.
Of course we need to get carbon emissions down, that's the first and most important thing, and our Government is obviously committed to doing that, but when it comes to reef recovery, actually working with the science, we've doubled funding for marine science, and we're really helping those reefs recover. We're breeding types of coral that are more heat resistant, we're transposing coral to different parts of the reef, and we are seeing the impacts of that, although I have to say it's a big job to look after such a precious place.
STEFANOVIC: It's a huge job. Yep
STEFANOVIC: That's for sure. All right. Turning quickly to the nuclear energy debate and the appointment of former Liberal MP Matt Kean, although I'm not sure how Liberal he was, to the Climate Change Authority. Was this purely a political move? I mean I'm not sure how independent Matt Kean could possibly be, could he?
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Well, he's, throughout his political career demonstrated a really strong commitment to doing something about climate change, so I guess that makes him pretty well qualified to run the Climate Change Authority, and we're expecting the Climate Change Authority to be a significant source of advice to the Government about how we get to net zero by 2050. That's something that Matt Kean's been working on for years.
ABO: And just quickly while we've got you, the images that you might have seen on the front pages of the papers this morning, Peter Dutton's son holding a clear bag containing a white substance, it was shared on social media, what do you make of it?
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Oh, absolutely nothing, I've got no comment at all. Peter Dutton's a public figure, but his son's not.
STEFANOVIC: And can I just reiterate this: can you imagine the embarrassment for the poor kid? I mean already his dad is the Opposition Leader, he has to live with the embarrassment of that, he's a former cop, and to say, "Just get this little photo, young fellow", hey, and look, he ends up on the front page of the paper, hey? Kids have to suffer with high‑profile parents, don't they, Tanya?
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Well, I can tell you there's nothing more embarrassing than being out with your mum and being stopped at the shops for people wanting to have a chat. It's not an easy life. We go into public life; we choose it, our families don't choose it.
STEFANOVIC: Agree. That's for sure.
ABO: That's a good point. Thanks, Tanya.
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: No worries.
END
