Labor pledges $500m over five years to support Great Barrier Reef

Extra cash for scientific monitoring and management promised by Bill Shorten to support one of party's 'highest priorities'

Labor is promising to invest $500m to boost scientific monitoring and management of the Great Barrier Reef over five years as it unveils its biggest environmental policy of the election campaign so far.

It says it will adopt every recommendation in the Great Barrier Reef Water Science Taskforce final report, released last week.