Hacking the reef

Queensland’s innovation festival Myriad hosted a ground-breaking creative think tank on Saturday 21st April 2018 to find solutions to the problem of plastics and other marine debris in the Great Barrier Reef.

The State’s Innovation Minister Kate Jones said the Myriad Hack the Reef program would bring together innovators from across Australia to brainstorm ideas to protect the Great Barrier Reef.

“Innovators will work to find solutions to help eliminate plastics and other marine debris from the Great Barrier Reef,” she said.

“Whether it’s new technology or a grass-roots solution, every idea is welcome at Hack the Reef.

“Sometimes the clever ideas come out of a research lab and sometimes they come from thinking outside the box at events like this.

“With the Reef in our backyard this free event is a great opportunity to work together to tackle the global problem of plastics in our oceans.”

A recent study by international researchers published in the journal Science found there are about 11.1 billion pieces of plastic clogging up more than 159 reefs across Asia and the Pacific, increasing the risk of coral disease from four to 89 per cent in these areas.

“The Great Barrier Reef supports more than 60,000 tourism jobs and contributes $6 billion to Queensland’s economy – it’s important we continue to find innovative new ways to rejuvenate our greatest natural asset,” Ms Jones said.

Minister for the Environment Leeanne Enoch said plastic and other rubbish was hazardous to the health of the Great Barrier Reef.

“Animals are injured when they swallow or become entangled in marine debris and plastic can increase the likelihood of coral disease,” Ms Enoch said.

“The Palaszczuk Government is taking steps to minimise the source of this waste by banning the supply of lightweight single-use plastic shopping bags and introducing a beverage container refund scheme this year.

“It is only by thinking outside the box at events such as Hack the Reef that we can identify novel solutions that will help us eradicate marine debris.

“I believe we can lead the world in finding innovative approaches to this global problem.”

Member for Barron River and Minister for Fire and Emergency Services Craig Crawford said he looked forward to welcoming some of Australia’s greatest innovators to North Queensland.

“The health of the Great Barrier Reef is crucial to Cairns,” he said.

“We want our children and grandchildren to be able to experience the Reef at its best and that means it’s up to us to find solutions to problems threatening our greatest natural asset.

“I look forward to hearing about some of the ideas that come out of Hack the Reef on Saturday.”

This year’s event builds on the success of last year’s inaugural Hack the Reef.

Myriad has teamed up with James Cook University, the Queensland Government and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation to bring together anyone with a desire to make a meaningful difference to the Reef, including researchers and academics, business leaders and students.

Small teams will work together to come up with a creative solutions to this complex problem and present their concept in a pitch format at the end of the day.

Participants will be mentored by industry and business experts, gain knowledge and insights about the Reef; learn problem solving techniques; and practice designing, pitching and developing initial ideas to completion.

Solutions will be presented at the Myriad Festival in Brisbane from May 16 to 18 at the Brisbane Showgrounds. Over three days, 200 speakers and 5000 delegates from 40 countries, will together seek out how tech can help answer some of the planet’s most pressing questions, with a focus on the future of food, health, culture, work, cities and money.

Acting Queensland Chief Scientist Dr Christine Williams said Hack the Reef gave an opportunity for Queenslanders from many different disciplines to come together and work on initiatives of huge importance to the state.

“Many of today’s exciting breakthroughs come from collaboration between people from very different backgrounds,” Dr Williams said.

Hack the Reef was a free event open to all at The Cairns Institute in Cairns.