Cooktown hosts Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan workshop

The Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan (WQIP) guides how industry, government and the community work together to improve the quality of water flowing to the Great Barrier Reef.

The joint Australian and Queensland governments’ review of the Reef 2050 WQIP began last year, with the first ‘listening phase’ workshop held in Cooktown in September 2024. In June, stakeholders attended a second workshop at Cooktown Shire Hall as part of the ‘drafting phase’ of the review.

The session provided an update on how feedback from the listening phase has informed the development of a draft framework to build a new plan. Participants also had an opportunity to provide further input for consideration. Emma-Lee Harper from the Queensland Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI) delivered the keynote presentation on the review.

Cape York NRM Project Officer Maree Coulson said stakeholders valued the chance to be involved in shaping the new Plan.

“It was great to see the participants getting involved with discussions about the frameworks that guide water quality outcomes in the Reef,” she said.

The workshop was organised as part of Cape York NRM’s Paddock to Reef Regional Engagement project. The Paddock to Reef (P2R) program provides the framework for modelling, evaluating and reporting progress towards the Reef 2050 WQIP targets through the Reef Water Quality Report Card.

As part of the session, DETSI representatives Carl Mitchell and Gillian McCloskey provided technical updates on the latest developments in the P2R program and regional catchment modelling for Cape York.

To find out more about the Reef 2050 WQIP review, visit: https://www.reefplan.qld.gov.au/water-quality-and-the-reef/the-plan/review.

To learn about the Paddock to Reef Integrated Monitoring, Modelling and Reporting Program, visit: www.reefplan.qld.gov.au/tracking-progress/paddock-to-reef. 

Check out the top 6 FAQs the Paddock to Reef team get at Cape York NRM forums.

Paddock to Reef Integrated Monitoring, Modelling and Reporting Program, jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland governments.

---