Cape York property with tree-clearing plans given part of $4m reef funding

A property in Queensland with one of the biggest tree-clearing proposals in Australia, and which is specifically identified by experts as a risk to Great Barrier Reef water quality, is one of the beneficiaries of a $4m federal government reef water quality program.

The east coast of Cape York peninsula, where coastal waters are
 protected as part of Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Site. 

Australian Conservation Foundation campaigner Andrew Picone said that it showed the federal government “isn’t taking its reef commitments seriously” since the proposed clearing would exacerbate the very problem the funding is meant to mitigate.

“At face value it seems inappropriate that we’re spending money on water quality improvement measures on a property where the landholder is wanting to clear 30,000 hectares in a reef catchment,” Picone said.

Read Michael Slezak’s story from The Guardian - “Cape York property with tree-clearing plans given part of $4m reef funding.”