Albanese government accused of trying to ‘bury bad news’ about health of Great Barrier Reef

The minister for the environment, Tanya Plibersek, did not send out a media release or hold a press conference about the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s 600-page report into the declining health of the world heritage area. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

A leading conservation group has accused the government of trying to “bury bad news” about the health of the Great Barrier Reef by releasing a major five-yearly outlook report on Friday afternoon.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s 600-page report said the “window of opportunity to secure a positive future” for the reef was “closing rapidly” and the outlook for the ecosystem was “very poor”.