The Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee Identification of leading practices in ensuring evidence-based regulation of farm practices that impact water quality outcomes in the Great Barrier Reef October 2020 © Commonwealth of Australia ISBN 978-1-76093-122-3 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Australia License. The details of this licence are available on the Creative Commons website: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/au/. Printed by the Senate Printing Unit, Department of the Senate, Parliament House, Canberra. Contents Members ....................................................................................................................................................... v List of Recommendations ........................................................................................................................ vii Chapter 1—Background .............................................................................................................................. 1 Chapter 2—Governance framework and legislative arrangements ................................................. 15 Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan .................................................................................... 15 Legislation ......................................................................................................................................... 23 Summary of views concerning the Reef regulations package ................................................... 28 Chapter 3—Evidence-base on the impact of land-based run-off into the Great Barrier Reef ..... 31 Stakeholder views on the scientific evidence base ...................................................................... 32 Committee view ............................................................................................................................... 42 Criticisms of the scientific basis for human impact on the Great Barrier Reef ....................... 43 Committee view ............................................................................................................................... 57 Chapter 4—The peer review process and the replicability of scientific research .......................... 59 Peer review process and the replication crisis ............................................................................. 59 Science community's response ....................................................................................................... 62 Committee view ............................................................................................................................... 68 Chapter 5—Rationale for the regulation of farming practices and the adoption of best practice .............................................................................................................................................. 69 Rationale for the regulation of farm practices in the Great Barrier Reef ................................. 69 BMP programs and adoption of best practice across industries ............................................... 75 Committee view .............................................................................................................................. 91 Chapter 6—Barriers to the adoption of best management practice programs ................................ 93 Funding and costs to farmers ......................................................................................................... 93 Extension services ............................................................................................................................ 99 Timeframes ..................................................................................................................................... 101 Consultation process .................................................................................................................... 103 Committee view ............................................................................................................................. 104 Chapter 7—Cooperation and collaboration ........................................................................................ 105 Collaboration and cooperation between scientists and the agricultural sector .................... 105 Collaborative projects .................................................................................................................... 111 iii Research and development ....................................................................................................... 116 Committee view .......................................................................................................................... 118 Coalition Senators - Dissenting Report ............................................................................................ 121 Additional Comments - Australian Greens ..................................................................................... 135 Additional Comments - Senator Malcolm Roberts ........................................................................ 139 Appendix 1—Submissions .................................................................................................................. 141 Appendix 2—Public hearings and witnesses .................................................................................. 145 iv Members Chair Senator Glenn Sterle ALP, WA Deputy Chair Senator Susan McDonald NATS, QLD Members Senator Alex Gallacher ALP, SA Senator Gerard Rennick LP, QLD Senator Nita Green (from 12.06.2020) ALP, QLD Substitute Members Senator Nita Green (to replace Senator Murray Watt to 11.06.2020) ALP, QLD Senator Larissa Waters (to replace Senator Janet Rice to 06.10.2020, AG, QLD and to replace Senator Peter Whish-Wilson from 07.10.2020) Senator the Hon Kim Carr (to replace Senator Alex Gallacher ALP, NSW for a public hearing in Canberra on 28 August 2020) Participating Members Senator the Hon Kim Carr ALP, NSW Senator the Hon James McGrath LP, QLD Senator Malcolm Roberts PHON, QLD Senator Matt Canavan NATS, QLD Secretariat Gerry McInally, Committee Secretary Paula Waring, Principal Research Officer Trish Carling, Senior Research Officer Joshua Wrest, Senior Research Officer Michael Fisher, Research Officer Jason See, Administrative Officer PO Box 6100 Telephone: (02) 6277 3511 Parliament House Fax: (02) 6277 5811 CANBERRA ACT 2600 Email: [email protected] v List of Recommendations Recommendation 1 3.35 The committee recommends the Australian and Queensland governments ensure adequate stakeholder engagement and education processes are integrated into future Water Quality Scientific Consensus Statement processes. Recommendation 2 3.38 The committee recommends the Australian and Queensland governments improve consultation, information, accessibility and transparency of data used to inform the findings of the Paddock to the Reef Integrated Monitoring, Modelling and Reporting Program. Recommendation 3 3.82 The committee recommends the Australian Government continue to uphold its responsibilities under the precautionary principle in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975. Recommendation 4 5.73 The committee recommends the Australian and Queensland governments ensure future Reef report cards adequately incorporate and recognise the adoption of best practice across the sugarcane sector. Recommendation 5 5.76 The committee recommends the Australian and Queensland governments conduct a strategic review of the communication strategy used to inform stakeholders about Great Barrier Reef policies and science. Recommendation 6 5.78 The committee recommends the Australian and Queensland governments' commission additional research into the impact of the horticulture and banana industries (including small-scale agro-ecological farmers) on water quality in the Great Barrier Reef catchment regions. Recommendation 7 7.46 The committee recommends the Australian and Queensland governments, in partnership with Reef science research bodies, agricultural representatives, natural resource management bodies and other stakeholders, establish a Great Barrier Reef water quality forum. vii Recommendation 8 7.48 The committee recommends the Australian and Queensland governments explore future opportunities to establish water quality research projects that incorporate citizen science principles throughout the Great Barrier Reef's catchment regions. viii Chapter 1 Background Referral of the inquiry 1.1 On 17 February 2019, the Senate referred the following matters to the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee (the committee) for inquiry and report by 1 October 2020. The identification of leading practices in ensuring evidence-based regulation of farm practices that impact water quality outcomes in the Great Barrier Reef, with particular reference to: the existing evidence-base on the impact of farm water runoff on the health of the Great Barrier Reef and catchment areas; the connectivity of farm practices throughout the Great Barrier Reef catchment areas to water quality outcomes in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park; relevant legislation and regulation, including in relation to impacts of water quality, farm management and soil runoff; proposed changes to regulations that would impact on farm productivity and the potential benefits and costs of such proposed regulation; the wider economic and social impact of proposed regulations to restrict farm practices;