Great Barrier Reef partnerships continue to receive funding for healthy waterways

The Queensland Government will invest $3.75 million over three years to continue the Regional Report Card Partnerships which bring together government and local stakeholders including Traditional Owners, industry, farmers and fishers, scientists, tourism operators and conservation groups who have a shared vision for healthy waterways in their region.

Five Regional Report Card Partnerships operate within the Great Barrier Reef catchment: Wet Tropics Waterways; Dry Tropics Partnership for Healthy Waters; Mackay-Whitsunday-Isaac Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership; Fitzroy Partnership for River Health and Gladstone Healthy Harbour Partnership.

The funding commitment ensures the five regional report card partnerships can continue their important work building understanding of, and working to enhance, the health of local waterways in the Great Barrier Reef catchment.

The funding also provides job security for 18 regionally-based partnership staff.

Each partnership produces an annual regional report card that outlines the condition of waterways in their region. The data collected also guides management decisions around actions to improve water quality in local waterways that flow to the reef.

The partnerships also engage with their local communities to deliver activities, such as working with local governments and industry in reef catchments to improve urban water management practices. This informs the development of urban water management targets as part of the Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan.

They also provide a regional stakeholder engagement mechanism for both the Queensland and Australian governments.

The regional report cards complement the overall Reef Water Quality Report Card, communicating science and environmental information in an easy-to-understand format for local communities.

Professor Iain Gordon, Chair, Gladstone Healthy Harbour Partnership shared “Gladstone Harbour is Queensland’s largest multi-commodity port.

“Formed in 2013, the Gladstone Healthy Harbour Partnership brings together 23 partner organisations – including the three levels of government, industry, community, traditional owners and the research sector – that are interested in maintaining and improving the health of Gladstone Harbour.

“The Queensland Government’s continuing commitment to support the Regional Report Card Partnerships means that partnership members can maintain their important work reporting on the condition of the local waterways.

“The report cards provide annual updates on the status of key health indicators across our important catchment areas – giving governments, industry, and the community critical information to pinpoint and address areas of concern in local waterway health.”

Queensland Minister for the Environment and the Great Barrier Reef, Leanne Linard adds “Some partnerships have been in operation for over a decade and it's fantastic to know that our long-term investment is achieving results and helping to deliver a healthy Reef, while supporting strong, collaborative community partnerships.”

While the Queensland Government is the major funding partner of the regional report card partnerships, other funding partners include the Australian and local governments, regional natural resource management bodies, resource industry and agricultural sectors, local business, and research organisations.

The Queensland Government previously invested $6.25 million in the regional report card partnerships over five years to 2022-23.

Image. Gladstone Healthy Harbour Partnership Research Officer, Kirsten, and Project Officer, Hannah, spent time with Year 4 students from Gladstone West State School exploring the Catchment Story and travelled with a drop of water as it made its way from Awoonga Dam to the harbour, picking up contaminants as it went. They shared the important role we all have to play in the protection of waterways and their ecosystems.