Officials told to keep public in the dark on Great Barrier Reef splurge

Government officials were instructed to avoid revealing the $10 million price tag on a taxpayer-funded Great Barrier Reef public relations campaign, while researchers receiving $100 million to restore the natural wonder were also told to keep the deal quiet.

The federal government will spend $10 million on a
 communications campaign focused on the Great Barrier Reef,
 which has suffered devastating coral bleaching.

The back-room discussions, contained in documents tabled in the Senate, reveal the extent to which officials either sought to limit public knowledge surrounding a controversial $444 million grant to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, or themselves grappled with an information vacuum following the surprise decision.

The documents also detail an exclusive weekend for corporate heavy hitters hosted by the foundation at a luxury Hamilton Island resort, where participants enjoyed bonfires on the beach and snorkelling trips.

Read the story by Nicole Hasham from The Age - “Officials told to keep public in the dark on Great Barrier Reef splurge.”