Coral Battleground? Re-examining the ‘Save the Reef’ campaign in 1960s Australia

Abstract

Today’s campaigns to protect the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) have parallels with historical campaigns. With hindsight, we can more clearly see the way environmental discourses are socially constructed as well as their outcomes. This is potentially insightful for contemporary environmentalists. Beginning in 1967, the Save the Reef campaign had a thoughtful media strategy and sought to socially construct the GBR as a precious ecosystem that was at risk from exploitation. Histories of this campaign remember environmentalists as a weak, David-like contender in a fight against the powerful Goliath of the Queensland government and extractive industries. Using the historical archives as our primary data source, however, reveals that these memories are overstated and that environmentalists actually enjoyed widespread support. Moreover, we see that the GBR has no explicit ‘opponents’; even those who sought to exploit it came from a position of pragmatic conservationism, believing exploitation and conservation could coexist. The historical struggle over power and control of the GBR shows the positive outcomes which emerged from broad coalitions, as opposed to an adversarial and combative approach to activism.

Keywords:

• environmental movement
• Great Barrier Reef
• historical sociology
• social construction
• Save the Reef
• black bans
• Australian environmentalism

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Russell McGregor, Claire Brennan, and Nick Osbaldiston for comments on drafts; the Friends of Ninney Rise; and colleagues who attended seminars presenting earlier versions of this research. It was partially funded by a JCU Faculty grant, an Australian Postgraduate Award and a National Library of Australia Summer Scholarship.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The study was partially funded by a JCU Faculty grant, an Australian Postgraduate Award, and a National Library of Australia Summer Scholarship.

Notes on contributors

Rohan Lloyd

Rohan Lloyd is a Higher Degree by Research student in History. His Ph.D. thesis is on a history of European perspectives on the Great Barrier Reef.

Maxine Newlands

Maxine Newlands is a Lecturer in Political Science and Journalism. She researches protest movements, governance, and media discourses.

Theresa Petray

Theresa Petray is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Anthropology. She researches social movements, especially Aboriginal self-determination movements.