71 were here. When oil companies proposed plans to mine the reef in the 1960s, the Australian Conservation Foundation was there to stop them in their tracks. People need to make this clear. Saving the Great Barrier Reef for future generations. Share0Like0Tweet0LinkedIn0Pin0 Fuel leaks from the Shen Neng 1 as it lies aground on the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef Foundation is saving the world’s largest coral reef and its marine life for future generations. Karl Stefanovic in stoush over support for Great Barrier Reef Foundation KARL Stefanovic has been criticised by a fellow journalist over comments about an organisation amid a “developing scandal”. Posted by. Required fields are marked *. Tiffany & Co. has been a joint force with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation for years, even donating $1.4 million to the cause in 2018. There should be an open, transparent tender process and, if we had a national anti-corruption watchdog, this matter would be referred to it because it stinks.”. Great Barrier Reef Foundation | 3.881 volgers op LinkedIn. This has instigated more questions over why major foundations were overlooked for the grant in the first place. The population was steadily declining due to nests being flooded, eggs drowning and fewer hatchlings surviving the harsh tides. The Great Barrier Reef Foundation is spending millions of dollars each year administrating a 500m grant from the federal government. Marsden identified climate change as the biggest threat to the reef, adding that efforts to protect it should “pull both levers: resilience and mitigation”. The ongoing scandal over the Great Barrier Reef Foundation is a good example of why we need a National Integrity Commission. Virtual Reef Diver is funded by the partnership between the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and The Australian Government’s Reef Trust. Sep 2006 – … The Great Barrier Reef Foundation was established in 1999 following the first mass coral bleaching of the Great Barrier and is currently the lead charity dedicated to protecting Australia’s Great Barrier Reef through funding solutions grounded in science, technology, engineering and on-ground action to ensure its long-term conservation. The managing director disclosed that the foundation’s business partners included BHP, Google, Lendlease, Qantas and Rio Tinto, but said they had “no influence” on project selection or design. Despite being at the centre of controversy over its government-funded grant, the Great Barrier Reef Foundation (GBRF) has handed its first grant to a government agency. The prime minister said the government had not put the grant out to a competitive tender because the foundation was an “outstanding” organisation and was “were clearly the best team to do it”. The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,300 kilometres (1,400 mi) over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres (133,000 sq mi). And it looks as if their conservation efforts have proved successful, with new research proving that there is a way to save our coral. No worries chaps, says the PM, here's $444 million for starters. Saving our Reef for future generations. | We bring together the best minds and technologies in the world to help solve the challenges facing the Great Barrier Reef. ABOUT US - Reef Restoration Foundation is a not-for-profit social enterprise that is establishing a series of ocean-based coral nurseries using a proven method, which is a part of the solution for a healthy Great Barrier Reef. GBRF Managing Director, Anna Marsden, said the findings of the AIMS survey will be used to inform future monitoring and will guide the focus of resources behind the Reef Trust Partnership, including restoration and control of crown of thorns starfish. Become a member of our for-purpose community by signing up below. The material in this public release comes from the originating organization and may be of a point-in-time nature, edited for clarity, style and length. Over half a million dollars of the $444 million government grant was invested into a co-funded project led by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), prompting the sector’s concern over how the GBRF intends to use the exorbitant amount of money. Barrier Reef Foundation grant 'unthinkable, mind-blowing', former board member says. The foundation was formed in response to the first mass coral bleaching of the reef in 1998. Asked about the fact that the foundation did not apply or complete a competitive tender for the grant, Marsden told ABC’s 7.30 it had come as a surprise. So why are giant coal carriers allowed to use this well-known shipping hazard as a shortcut?… And to challenge every Australian—from the boardroom to the beach—to stand up, unite, and take an active part in its conservation. This is days after Labor Environment spokesperson, Tony Burke, said he “completely rejected” privatising the work of all agencies so “they have to go cap-in-hand to a small private foundation begging for money”. Researchers would be looking closely to see if surviving corals developed increased tolerance to warmer waters, a good indication of Reef resilience. Head of reef foundation says $444m grant was 'complete surprise', Reefgate part two: the plot (and the water) thickens, starring Brenda the Antifa Penguin | First Dog on the Moon. u/gerard23. This video is unavailable. She said 80 cents in every dollar raised was spent on reef projects, which would rise to 90 cents a dollar for the federal government grant. The Great Barrier Reef Foundation (GBRF) is seeking to establish two regionally focussed water quality improvement programs under the Reef Trust Partnership, one for the Mulgrave-Russell catchment (value $6.2m) and one in the Tully-Johnstone catchment (value $11.6m). Tourists view coral from a glass-bottomed boat. Archived. “No tender process, no transparency, no examination of whether the organisation has the capacity to administer these funds. Great Barrier Reef Foundation board members (from left) John Schubert, Geoff Healy, Steve McCann, Anna Marsden, Russell Reichelt and Ove Hoegh-Guldberg at Lady Elliot Island. /Public Release. A bunch of fossil fuel corporations can chuck in a few million dollars, set up a campaign group like the Great Barrier Reef Foundation (GBRF) to “protect” the reef and then rock up to banker PM Malcolm Turnbull and ask him for a grant. In the 1981 we won World Heritage listing and Marine Park status for the Great Barrier Reef. The government's $444 million grant to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation slammed as 'ludicrous' and 'unfair' by the country's $135 billion charity sector. Using the grant, AIMS will provide an updated baseline assessment of reef conditions and recovery in the remote northern section of the Great Barrier Reef. Australia “could probably be doing more” to meet its Paris targets and prevent climate change, she said. The Foundation began a tender process earlier this year for an agency to launch a large-scale mass appeal campaign aimed at changing people’s behaviour to make a meaningful difference to address climate change and protect the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef is an irreplaceable ecosystem, home to thousands of species of marine life, including fish, dolphins, and six of the world’s seven species of marine turtle. “This project would not be able to go ahead without the Australian Government’s single largest investment into the Reef through Reef Trust Partnership, the Foundation looks forward to delivering on our objectives over the life of the Partnership,” Marsden said. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Nov 2017 – Dec 2018 1 year 2 months. 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More than 20 reefs are to be surveyed off Cape York, from Cooktown to north of Cape Grenville, to check for signs of recovery in young coral recruits, after the 2016-17 coral bleaching. Head Of Direct Marketing Children's Hospital Foundation. politics. The party leader, Richard Di Natale, joined Labor in demanding the return of the huge sum given to the private foundation – which had just six full-time staff – and called for the whole process to be put to tender. Saving the Great Barrier Reef for future generations. 1 year ago. Watch Queue Queue. Marsden defended the award, saying the foundation was the largest reef charity and the government wanted to encourage co-investment in the reef. “That money should be returned. Imagine what we can achieve with the scale up that has been promised.”. (Photograph: Getty Images) The Great Barrier Reef is threatened by the worst environmental disaster in Australia’s history after a ship ran aground. There's two elements to this scandal. The managing director disclosed that the foundation’s business partners included BHP, Google, Lendlease, Qantas and Rio Tinto, but said they had “no influence” on project selection or design. The Greens have labelled a reef grant a ‘massive scandal’. Your email address will not be published. Brisbane, Australia. Labor's plan to have the Great Barrier Reef Foundation refund what's left of a $443.3 million grant has suffered a setback after an audit cleared the related ministers of any wrong doing. Please enter your email address. Watch Queue Queue Speaking on ABC’s Radio National, Di Natale said the matter was a “massive scandal”. Close. The Great Barrier Reef Foundation is an Australian non-profit organisation established in 1999 to help protect and preserve the Great Barrier Reef. Great Barrier Reef Foundation Turnbull looks after his rich mates — the Great Barrier Reef Foundation scandal At Green Left Weekly , we know how hard it is to keep a not-for-profit campaigning publication going because we have been doing it for nearly 27 years. The Marine Park Authority has strong partnership with the Foundation and history of collaboration — both organisations hold significant and unique roles in the management of the Great Barrier Reef.We share common Great Barrier Reef Foundation admits $800k in federal funding spent on 'operational' costs since June - ABC News. On Monday Turnbull defended the government’s “very thorough process” before the grant, explaining that both the expenditure review committee and cabinet had approved it before the money was offered. “The prime minister and the energy minister have a private meeting with an individual ... this is an organisation made up of those at the big end of town ... and they give him half a billion dollars,” he told ABC’s Radio National. Executive Manager, Direct Marketing Cancer Council Queensland. Taxpayer money must always be treated with respect. His comments came after the foundation’s managing director, Anna Marsden, said this year’s grant had come as a “complete surprise”. Speaking again on Radio National on Wednesday she said: “We have a compelling track record … we have a phenomenal track record in delivery private and public partnership. The GBR Foundation is a scam organisation with 6 staff, all being Big Business mates of Turnbull. 2018 Government Grant. In what could be construed as a calculated insult to environmentalists, the scientific community and everyone who actually cares about the future of the Great Barrier Reef, the Foundation’s “partners” make up a veritable "Who’s Who" of big business and the mining industry, including Qantas, Boeing, Rio Tinto, BHP, Peabody Energy, Shell, Downer EDI Mining, Worley Parsons, Wesfarmers and … Richard Di Natale joins Labor in calling for money to be handed back, Last modified on Wed 8 Aug 2018 00.22 BST. You will receive mail with link to set new password. Consultant with Wesley Medical Research, Bicycle Queensland and Great Barrier Reef Foundation. The Great Barrier Reef Foundation has appointed Leo Burnett Australia as its new creative agency, effective immediately. In response to this concerning decline, the project has: Delivered 640,000 extra turtle hatchlings to the Reef as a direct result of the Foundations project. In 2010, the Great Barrier Reef Foundation (GBRF) committed to developing a replicable, user-pays model for structuring a coral reef bond to accelerate the financing, commissioning, and collaborative development of a ground-breaking portfolio of research, adaptation, and engagement projects. Lost your password? politics. 362. This announcement comes after the publication of an official audit into the $444 million grant that found there were serious failings in departmental processes when the GBRF was selected without a competitive tender process, leaving NFPs confused. said this year’s grant had come as a “complete surprise”. “Look what we have achieved with a fraction of this investment. The Great Barrier Reef Foundation extends its deepest respect and recognition to all Traditional Owners of the Great Barrier Reef as First Nations Peoples holding the hopes, dreams, traditions and cultures of the Reef. Saved 696 turtle mothers. 427. Close. The federal government’s controversial $444 million grant to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation (GBRF) has rocked scientific and environmental circles.. Like peeling an onion, the further we strip away the layers surrounding this scandal, the more the tears will fill our eyes – tears of anger and disbelief. The Great Barrier Reef Foundation has gifted the first of its grants to a government agency, prompting questions into why they were given a controversial $444 million government grant in … The awarding of $444m in taxpayers’ money by the prime minister to the small Great Barrier Reef Foundation without consultation “stinks” and the money should be handed back, the Greens have demanded. Burke told Guardian Australia that AIMS was a government agency that should have been directly funded: “It is absurd that government scientists had to seek permission of a small private foundation to access taxpayer funds.”. 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