The Australian government admits the Great Barrier Reef has been neglected for decades after a study showed it has lost more than half its coral cover in the past 27 years. Environment Minister Tony Burke said research released Tuesday by scientists from the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the University of Wollongong should be setting off alarm bells across the country. "I reckon the report would have sent shockwaves through a whole lot of households," he told ABC television late Tuesday.

Australia admits neglect of Great Barrier Reef. (2012, October 4). The Philippine Star, p. A-23.