Australia is on track to avoid an in-danger listing in light of the recent decision by the World Heritage Committee’s draft recommendation that it should not be placed on the in-danger list, he said.

“The latest meeting of the Great Barrier Reef ministerial forum held in Brisbane yesterday is another display of the state and federal government’s commitment to rise above politics and protect the Great Barrier Reef,” he said.

Australia will provide a report by the end of 2016 on the progress and implementation of the Reef 2050 plan, with a full report due in 2020.

“Those measures will inevitably come at an economic cost to Queensland over time,” Roche said.

“All those in government and industry who have worked so hard to develop the Reef 2050 Plan cannot rest on their laurels.

“QRC looks forward to continuing its work on behalf of industry as a member of the Reef 2050 team. As an island nation that depends upon exports and imports, our industry has been safely working alongside the reef for many decades, including since its World Heritage listing in 1981.”