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Environment Minister Greg Hunt Says The Great Barrier Reef Is Better Off Under The Coalition

And pretty much no one on Twitter believes the 'Best Minister in the World'.
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Reuters/David Gray
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A dismal scorecard rating has pulled the Coalition's environmental policies into the spotlight, but Greg Hunt jumped the gun on Monday night to spruik the Federal Government's commitment to the Great Barrier Reef.

And it did not fare well for the Environment Minister. We'll get to that later but first, here's what Hunt had to say.

The 'watch list' Hunt is referring to is from a UN Report on climate change published by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) which initially included a chapter on the Great Barrier Reef, along with mentions of Tasmanian forests and Kakadu.

But the Environment Department expressed concerns about Australia's mentions in the report, claiming they could harm tourism Down Under.

Last week it was revealed all mentions of Australia had been removed from the report.

So Hunt's tweet on Monday night was greeted with responses like these (and these are some of the least scathing):

On Monday the Coalition committed to investing $6 million in additional funding to tackle crown-of-thorns starfish on the Great Barrier Reef while Bill Shorten announced a $500 million fund to research, programs and management to protect the reef.

The scorecard generated by environmental body, Australian Conservation Foundation, on Tuesday morning gave the Coalition an 11 out of 100 rating, while Labor scored 53 and the Greens were given 77.

In December, the Federal Government approved the expansion of the Adani coal mine -- one of the world's largest coal terminals -- in North Queensland which was met with outrage from environmental groups because of its close proximity to the Great Barrier Reef.

But let's not forget February, when Hunt was named the "best minister in the world". We gather he wasn't judged on his tweets.

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