Hulls, hazards and hard questions : shipping in the Great Barrier Reef : reducing the risk of spilling oil and other hazardous substances

Abstract

The possibility of ecological damage to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is an issue that has attracted considerable discussion and expenditure of money, even before the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP) was created. In the early 1970s the possibility of oil exploration, drilling and mining on the Reef led the Commonwealth and Queensland Governments to establish joint Royal Commissions which investigated the exploration and production drilling for petroleum in the GBR. They reported in 1974.