QUEENSLAND'S environment minister says industrial growth along the length of the Great Barrier Reef has been the focus of closed discussions with the federal government.
Federal and state ministers met behind closed doors on Tuesday in Brisbane for the 35th Great Barrier Reef Ministerial Forum.
Queensland's Environment Minister Andrew Powell later told reporters Gladstone Harbour had dominated the talks.
He said Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke, who chaired the meeting, was impressed with state initiatives to set up a partnership between interest groups, the community and the local government to tackle water quality issues in Gladstone.
But Mr Powell failed to say what exactly was being done to minimise damage industrial development linked to the mining industry will have on the reef.
Instead he told reporters Gladstone was an established port and industrial area.
"From an environmental perspective I would rather see continued appropriate high environmental standard developments in Gladstone than further ports opened up (along the coast)," Mr Powell said.
This comes as the state government agrees to the terms of reference involved in the duplication of shipping channels in Gladstone's harbour, clearing the way for the proponent to go ahead with an environmental impact statement.
"Increasing its capacity will place us in a position to take advantage of an immeasurable number of opportunities in coming years," Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney said in a statement.
The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) said the government was fast-tracking port, rail and mine approvals which threaten the reef.
"The clock is ticking for the state and federal government to respond to international concerns about plans for exploitative development along the reef," AMCS spokeswoman Felicity Wishart said.
The United Nation's environmental arm UNESCO was highly critical of Australia's management of the reef in a June report.
It said coastal development, ports and shipping were among the most pressing threats and chastised the government for not having an overall plan for the future sustainable development of the reef.
UNESCO will decide early next year whether to list the reef as a World Heritage site in danger.
Gladstone Harbour has also had an unexplained outbreak of disease among its marine life that some fishers and conservationists have blamed on the harbour's dredging expansion. This has been strongly denied by the Gladstone Ports Corporation.
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