CURRENT POLITICAL PARTY POSITIONS ON MARINE PARKS

It should be noted that all Tasmanian political entities have been relatively passive about marine parks since 2007, compared to other issues, and its hasn’t been an especially vocal issue for the community generally for a while either. There have been no significant efforts to investigate, discuss or create new marine parks for a long time.

Here are some extracts of current stated parties policies, as well as some recent policy statements where the formal party policy isn’t published in detail:

Australian Greens

The Australian Greens have committed to:

• Election statement- Immediately reinstate the original 2012 green zones in full; assign $247 million over four years for fisheries adjustment; and undertake a comprehensive review to advise on the creation of new or expanded marine parks that are truly comprehensive, and that take into account updated science, particularly related to climate change and fish stocks.

More details available at https://greens.org.au/policies/marine-and-coastal-areas-and-fisheries

The Tasmanian Greens’ policy on protected areas

…will work to:

• ensure that all wilderness areas, high conservation value forests, threatened communities, habitats and landscapes (including karst) are adequately protected in the reserve system at a bioregional level;
• include representative samples of all ecological communities where possible;
• create comprehensive new marine reserves which include no-take zones;
• enable all recognised marine bioregions of Tasmania to have representative and adequate protection, utilising the Tasmanian Marine Protected Areas Strategy and recognising the bioregions currently unrepresented;
• increase resources for the management of reserves and employ additional on-ground staff, including rangers;
• create a marine reserves management unit, including rangers.

Tasmanian Liberal Party

The Tasmanian Liberal Party most recent statements indicate that they will continue the Hodgman Liberal Government’s moratorium on new marine parks.

When the State Government was asked by journalists for comment recently they stated;

The Tasmanian Government is committed to managing the existing marine park reserve system in its current form, which complements the extensive national marine reserve system.

The Government is committed to effective and sustainable management of marine resources for the benefit of recreational, commercial and indigenous fisheries and the community at large.

In managing Tasmania’s marine waters, the government uses a range of contemporary resource management practices, including controls on fish catches, restrictions on gear use and access to important breeding habitats, and control of invasive species such as the long-spined sea urchin.

The Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service, in collaboration with UTAS, completed a long-term study between 2004 and 2017 into the condition of the Kent Group and Southwest National Park marine reserves which showed that current arrangements for managing the reserves are working effectively.

The Government will continue to support the science-based management of Tasmania’s marine environment, ensuring the approach to marine conservation is backed by robust scientific information.

Australian (Liberal/National Coalition) Government

2019 election statement – The Coalition committed $56.1 million over four years to 2O19-2O20 for marine park management, with additional ongoing funding of $5.3 million a year from 2O2O-21. This includes funding to: engage marine parks users in the management of marine parks, including through the establishment of Australian Marine Park Advisory Committees; deliver a compliance program to achieve high levels of awareness and compliance with the park rules set out in the management plans; and establish a comprehensive monitoring, evaluation, reporting and improvement framework to inform adaptive management of the parks.

Australian Labor Party (Tasmanian Branch)

The Tasmanian ALP Platform currently states:

Tasmanian Labor believes in the need to protect and maintain marine species and ecosystems.

Tasmanian Labor believes that governments play an important role in moderating potential conflict between users of marine ecosystems.

Tasmania Labor recognises that Tasmania’s marine ecosystem is both a unique ecological and economic resource. It underpins our island lifestyle and offers valuable recreational benefits to the community.

Tasmanian Labor recognises the Tasmanian Marine Protected Areas Strategy.

Tasmanian Labor recognises the use of habitat mapping to identify typical, unique and sensitive marine habitats and their communities.

Tasmanian Labor recognises the importance of working closely with the Australian Government, scientific research institutions, international partners and community groups for the protection of all marine species and ecosystems…

Tasmanian Labor will protect estuarine habitat and support environmentally sustainable aquaculture.

Tasmanian Labor will develop an integrated management planning system that reduces conflict between development and conservation in coastal, estuarine and marine areas.

The National ALP Platform states:

Labor will achieve our marine ecological, economic and social objectives in an open, integrated, participatory and planned manner. Labor will use modern, best-practice public processes like marine spatial planning involving stakeholders in a transparent way, to create and establish a more rational, adaptive and strategic use of marine space and the interactions between its uses, including Australia’s comprehensive network of marine reserves. 

Labor recognises that:

• Australia is responsible for managing the third largest area of ocean on the planet;
• Australians have a strong connection with our oceans, their biodiversity, pristine beaches and unspoiled coastlines; and
• Protecting Australia’s oceans for future economic growth in marine industries, tourism and trade is of great importance.

Labor has a strong record of protecting Australia’s oceans, including the Whitlam Government’s establishment of the nation’s first marine reserve to protect the Great Barrier Reef and the former Labor Government for establishing Australia’s Marine Reserve Network; the largest network of marine protected areas anywhere in the world.