Media Release ·
Foundation welcomes recommendations
The Great Barrier Reef Foundation understands the accountability associated with being a steward of taxpayer funds and welcomed this review by the Australian National Audit Office of the early design and implementation of the Reef Trust Partnership.
Building on its 20-year track record of bringing funding and partners together for the benefit of the Reef, the Foundation accepted the opportunity to partner with the Australian Government because of the critical need for substantive and immediate action to protect the Great Barrier Reef.
We’re pleased the audit process has recognised the Foundation’s strong commitment to best practice governance, investment of grant money and major project delivery models. We’re determined to take the lessons learned and continue to improve how we deliver on this important mission and responsibility. The Foundation agrees to, and has commenced the implementation of, all seven recommendations in the report.
Our progress to date is substantial with more than 200 projects already underway, co-designed partnerships with Reef Traditional Owners and 65 percent of RTP funds ($275 million) to be spent or under contract by the middle of this year.
The scale and breadth of the partnerships and actions already having an on-ground and on-water impact are unprecedented.
Like other charities around the world, the pandemic has disrupted aspects of our fundraising effort, but we remain steadfast in our ambition because there has never been a more important time to work together to turn the tide on the health of the Reef.
At this critical juncture, where the impacts of climate change are ever present, and the task to save the Great Barrier Reef and coral reefs on the planet is no longer a future challenge, the Board and staff of the Foundation remain focussed on delivering positive outcomes in the protection and preservation of one of the world’s most spectacular environmental icons.
