Seaward from the edge of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park boundary, are a scattering of remote coral reefs which have evolved in partial isolation from the Great Barrier Reef. These reefs are now being threatened by new fishing industries and oil exploration. NQCC has raised the alarm and is campaigning to have the boundary of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park extended out to the edge of Australia’s economic zone to give these unique ecosystems at least the same protection as is given to the more valuable areas of the Great Barrier Reef.
From 2010 archived website:
In 2001 NQCC led the campaign against the application to explore for oil in the Coral Sea just outside the boundary of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Since then we have been actively campaigning to have the Marine Park boundary extended to include the unique and magnificent reefs, islands and atolls of the Coral Sea. This would ensure that both the Coral Sea and the Great Barrier Reef are never threatened by the damage that can be caused by this industry.