Climate Action Critical to Australia's Economic Future," Declares PM Albanese During Reef Announcement
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has emphasized that climate action is not only essential for environmental sustainability but is key to Australia's economic future and international credibility. Speaking at a press conference in Cairns, the PM announced a $10 million reef program and significant investment in healthcare education.
"The key to credibility in our region, in the Pacific, in the ASEAN region, and indeed in Europe and North America is credibility on climate change. That's the key, not just to our environmental sustainability, it's also a key to our economic future." - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
The announcement included $6 million for the Kids for the Reef program, enabling young people to experience the reef firsthand, plus additional funds for local tourism operators and promotion. Albanese highlighted that the Great Barrier Reef directly supports 64,000 jobs in Queensland, with tens of thousands more indirectly dependent on reef tourism.
"When you protect the reef, you protect Queensland jobs." - Senator Nita Green, Special Envoy for the Great Barrier Reef
In a significant education initiative, the government will provide $27.5 million to construct a health and engineering wing at Central Queensland University's Cairns campus. This investment aims to double nursing student capacity and accelerate the delivery of medical imaging programs to address critical workforce shortages in regional healthcare.
The Prime Minister contrasted his government's climate policies with the opposition, emphasizing the importance of having a clear target and pathway to reduce emissions. He reiterated the government's commitment to net zero and 43% emissions reduction by 2030.
"If we don't take climate change seriously, we'll go back into the naughty corner at those international conferences where we were for such a very long period of time." - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
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