A controversial new ad released today by Greenpeace asks Australians to face up to the precarious future of the Great Barrier Reef, likening Nemo’s home to a fish in a blender.

The 30 sec TV ad features a ‘Nemo’ fish circling his watery home inside a kitchen blender. ‘Nemo’ faces a grim fate if a decision is made to flick the power switch.

A similarly disastrous outcome awaits the Great Barrier Reef if Queensland’s Carmichael mega mine and dredging for the related port expansion at Abbot Point is allowed to proceed.

“The expansion of Abbot Point means dredging around three million tonnes of sea floor to clear the way for thousands of extra coal ships through the Great Barrier Reef,” said Greenpeace Program Director Ben Pearson. “Right now, Environment Minister Greg Hunt’s finger is on the button. If he presses go, the consequences for Australia’s most precious natural place will be dramatic.”

The Carmichael mine itself would be the biggest ever seen in Australia. It would include six open cut pits and five underground mines. Measuring 28,000 hectares – five times the area of Sydney Harbour – the mine would clear bushland home to threatened species like the Black-Throated Finch (Southern).

“The turbulence ‘Nemo’ faces inside the blender is sadly nothing compared to the destruction facing the Reef if Minister Hunt flicks the approval switch for the Carmichael mine,” explains Pearson.

Multi-award winning actor Richard Roxburgh has voiced the new ad in support of Greenpeace’s Save the Reef campaign.