Make the Great Barrier Reef an Australian citizen and protect her right to live.

Make the Great Barrier Reef an Australian citizen and protect her right to live.

Started
4 June 2019
Signatures: 74,223Next goal: 75,000
Support now

Why this petition matters

Started by CITIZEN REEF

You may not know it, but the world’s largest living organism, the Great Barrier Reef, has been looking out for you your entire life.

She’s been protecting your coastlines, preventing tidal waves & tropical storms from washing away your cities.

She’s regulating the carbon dioxide levels of the ocean to combat climate change and keep your air and beaches clean.

She’s created a nursery to more than 10% of the planet’s fish species, helping to maintain the world’s fish populations.

She’s even contributing to the Australian economy by generating $6.4 billion every year, supporting over 64,000 jobs and holding a modest net worth of $56 billion. (That’s about twice the worth of Aussie bazillionaire, Rupert Murdoch).

But despite her massive contribution to Australia, she’s still denied the one basic right of every Australian citizen – the right to live.

Coal mining, greenhouse gas emissions, the continued growth of the fossil fuel industry and lack of action against climate change are all threatening the life of the Great Barrier Reef.

In fact, more than half of the shallow water corals of the GBR have been bleached to death since 2016 – all due to increasing ocean temperatures that force her to starve herself. 

And with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority approving the dumping of more than 1 million tonnes of dredge spoil within the marine park boundaries, things aren't looking to improve. (https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-dumping-of-1-million-tonnes-of-dredge-sludge-onto-australia-s-great-barrier-reef)

But not all is lost. We at LADBible Australia have a plan.

On May 8, 2019 (Australia’s unofficial day to be thankful for your Aussie mates) we contacted the Australian Department of Home Affairs to make the living, breathing Great Barrier Reef, an Aussie citizen.

WHY WOULD WE DO THAT?

Well, by making the Great Barrier Reef an Australian citizen she’ll then be protected by FOUR key Australian rights and freedoms:

Article 12.3

The right to the highest attainable standard of physical health.

Article 7.1

Freedom from torture or inhuman treatment and punishment.

Article 1.2

The right to maintain your own means of subsistence.

Article 6.1

The right to life. 

Put simply, if we recognise her contribution to Australia and rightfully make her an Aussie citizen, then the Australian government is obliged to make decisions in the interest of her health and safety (and in turn take real action against the one thing that’s really killing her – Climate Change!)

BUT YOU CAN’T MAKE A REEF A CITIZEN, CAN YOU?

SURE, YOU CAN:

To become an Australian Citizen you simply need to tick the following boxes:

1) Be a permanent resident ✔

(She’s permanently residing across 344,400 sqm of Australia)

2) Be in Australia when a decision is made ✔

(She’s certainly not taking any holidays abroad)

3) Have spent time in Australia and know about the country ✔

(How does 500,000+ years and literally being a good chunk of the country sound?)

4) Intend to stay in Australia or maintain a lasting link ✔

(Links don’t get much more lasting than this)

But seeing as we don’t have the power to grant her citizenship on our own (as much as we’d like to), we’re calling for power in numbers. More specifically your numbers.

Every vote of support you contribute will directly notify the Australian Government, to let them know we are a unified voice who believe this living, breathing Aussie icon, should become a living, breathing Aussie citizen.

So join us and let's help get the Great Barrier Reef her citizenship to give her the same rights that every living being on this planet deserves – the right to life.

Support now
Signatures: 74,223Next goal: 75,000
Support now
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