Greens throw support behind Gladstone community

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown joined Greens Senator for Queensland Larissa Waters in Gladstone today to see the environmental crisis in the harbour firsthand and listen to the concerns of the Gladstone community.

"I am very pleased to be back here, getting a firsthand account from Queensland's most engaged Senator, Larissa Waters. A vote for either of the old parties is a vote for this mess," Senator Brown said.

"UNESCO are so concerned about the impacts of dredging on the Great Barrier Reef that they're coming here to look at the harbour - yet both the state and federal Governments are refusing to reconsider the massive 46 million cubic metres of dredging approved for Gladstone harbour," Senator Waters said.

"It's time for the Australian Government to take responsibility and get to the bottom of this disaster - the Commonwealth should collect it's own data, not just rely on data collected by Gladstone Ports Corporation and the state Government which hasn't been able to provide any answers.

"It beggars belief that while the fishing and tourism operators have had their livelihoods put on hold, the dredging still continues - the Greens are calling for the dredging to be suspended too until we find out what's causing the environmental crisis.

"And no more dredging should be approved in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area until the strategic assessment is completed - otherwise our Reef risks death by a thousand cuts," Senator Waters said.