‘We can again unite’: Qld makes last-minute Reef rescue plea to Canberra

She framed this as matching her $2 billion budget announcement of a hydrogen and renewable energy jobs fund.

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Sending a “strong signal” to the UNESCO committee before it meets on Friday would also include the Commonwealth matching Queensland’s funding for local carbon sequestration projects, Ms Palaszczuk wrote.

So too would maintaining or increasing Commonwealth five-year funding for improving water quality. (This is despite her own government setting aside only $270 million for the same period and purpose, compared to the $400 million it has spent since 2015.)

Ms Palaszczuk also called for reinstating the Great Barrier Reef Ministerial Forum, which was disbanded with the recent reforms that turned the Council of Australian Governments into national cabinet.

“We can again unite to protect the reef, avert an ‘in danger’ listing, and help recover tourismand jobs in regional Queensland,” she said.

A spokesman for federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley said the Commonwealth was providing $2.08 billion of the $3.05 billion in funding under the Reef 2050 Plan.

“This is a time when all levels of government need to work together in the interests of the 64,000 Australians whose livelihoods are tied to the reef,” he said.

“Minister Ley is keeping the Queensland government informed of her campaign regarding the listing process.”

Ms Palaszczuk’s letter noted “all states, and a wide range of industries and corporations, now support net-zero emissions targets by 2050”, but she did not mention regional Queensland’s controversial coal projects.

In the aftermath of the UN’s draft decision, Ms Palaszczuk was asked – but would not answer – whether her government should wear any responsibility because of its approval of the Adani (Bravus) Carmichael coal mining and exporting operation.

“It’s not about that, it’s about the Great Barrier Reef and all the regulations we put in place … actions taken by our government,” she said.

Anti-Adani campaigners surround Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg in his Kooyong electorate to protest against the Carmichael coal mine.Credit:Justin McManus

“The greatest risk at the moment is the National Party in Canberra.”

Environmental groups point to the impact of coal-fired power stations on climate change and more direct risks to the reef associated with increased coal shipping, including spills, crashes and destructive dredging.