The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet has been accused of interfering in public science agencies by claiming caretaker mode should delay the release of crucial data about coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef.

Last week The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age reported that the results from aerial surveys of the location and severity of coral bleaching had been delayed and were “not likely to go out now until after the election”.

Coral bleached in March on Stanley Reef, South of Townsville, following a late summer heatwave in Far North Queensland. Credit:Australian Marine Conservation Society/Climate Council/Grumpy Turtle/ Harriet Spark

Two agencies are tasked with compiling and publishing the aerial survey data, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) and the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS).

GBRMPA confirmed on March 18 that there had been severe and widespread bleaching to 60 per cent of the corals along a 500-kilometre stretch of individual reefs that together make up the massive ecosystem.

A report on the survey has been completed but GBRMPA said last week it would only be published within a broader report, the Reef Summer Snapshot 2021-22, to be released after the election.

SBS reported on Sunday that AIMS chief executive Paul Hardisty had told a meeting of his staff that the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) advised releasing the survey results would breach the caretaker conventions.

It is understood AIMS and GBRMPA requested advice from the Department without consulting on the specific content of the report and were told it may be preferable to delay the publication unless there was a legislative requirement to publish by a certain date.

Caretaker conventions apply when parliament is dissolved before a federal election, and say the government should avoid major policy decisions, significant appointments, as well as major contracts and undertakings.

Great Barrier Reef campaign manager for the Australian Marine Conservation Society, Dr Lissa Schindler, said coral bleaching is a major concern for voters and the survey results should have been released in April.

“It is deeply concerning that caretaker mode is being used as an excuse for not releasing this vital information about the health of our global treasure,” she said.

The Australian Marine Conservation Society sought legal opinion on the Department’s advice for AIMS not to release the survey results.

The Environmental Defenders Office, who gave the advice, said the Guidance on Caretaker Conventions “does not show that there is any impediment to the release of the Reef Summer Snapshot 2021-22 by the authoring agencies, given the Snapshot report appears to relate to existing programs and to contain only factual content”.

A spokesperson for PM&C said while it provides agencies with general advice, “each agency head is ultimately responsible for the operations of their agency during the caretaker period”.

While AIMS and GBRMPA have been tasked with publishing the latest aerial survey, Professor Terry Hughes, the founding director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University, conducted aerial surveys during the past four mass bleaching events before he retired.

He said last week that he had released the results within two weeks of completion of the flights and it was “disappointing” the survey results had not yet been published.

University of Queensland senior lecturer Dr Selina Ward said the delay in publishing the survey results was “appalling”.

“How can we think it’s not political interference when all the other results came out in a timely fashion?”

Cut through the noise of the federal election campaign with news, views and expert analysis from Jacqueline Maley. Sign up to our Australia Votes 2022 newsletter here.

Most Viewed in Politics

From our partners

Source: Read Full Article