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Dear Environment Minister Watt,
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I commend the Australian government on its proposal to expand sanctuary protection around Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island, and urge the government to support the aspirations of the island communities. I also welcome this once-in-a-decade opportunity to improve protection in iconic offshore areas around our mainland federal waters.
Australia’s oceans are among the most diverse and unique on the planet. But industrial fishing, mining, climate change and pollution are putting them at risk. It is unacceptable that destructive industrial activities such as bottom trawling, mining and seismic blasting are still allowed inside our Australian Marine Parks.
Science shows fully protected marine sanctuaries enhance marine biodiversity, improve resilience, and replenish fish populations, both inside and around the sanctuaries, improving fishing outside the boundaries. I urge you to increase highly protected sanctuary protection (IUCNII) around Australia’s mainland, ensuring the sanctuaries are in the right places, based on Comprehensive, Adequate, Representative and other scientific design principles, are well-managed and well-funded, and reflect First Nations’ aspirations.
The Coral Sea marine park is recognised as a global biodiversity hotspot, home to an abundance of large ocean predators (sharks, tunas, marlin and sailfish), whales and dolphins, six of the world’s seven marine turtles and one of the only known spawning grounds of the black marlin. The region hosts a diversity of habitats including shallow coral reefs, sandy cays, underwater mountains and deep-sea ecosystems.
However, scientists have repeatedly raised concerns about whether the current zoning effectively safeguards the region’s biodiversity. The marine park currently fails to adequately protect the special and unique values of the region, falling well short of the level of protection needed.
In the Temperate East Marine Region, five ocean currents converge to create a unique mix of tropical, subtropical and temperate marine life to produce a superabundance of diverse marine life. Canyons, seamounts, coral reefs and rocky reefs provide important habitat for tuna, whales and seabirds, yet sanctuary protection remains low at only 4%.
In the South-west Marine Region, the Leeuwin Current supports a unique mix of tropical and temperate marine life, with many species found nowhere else on Earth. The region is a biodiversity hotspot and important migratory route for southern right, humpback and blue whales. However, many important habitats remain under-protected.
In the North-west Marien Region, coral atolls, submerged pinnacles, canyons and ancient coastlines provide critical habitats and biodiversity hotspots for threatened sharks, migratory and foraging habitats for dugongs, humpback whales and dolphin species, and breeding and feeding grounds for threatened green, loggerhead and hawksbill turtles. For many of the species found here, the North-West is one of the remaining strongholds against extinction.
The North Marine Region forms part of the world’s largest remaining relatively intact tropical marine ecosystem, yet it has the poorest marine sanctuary protection in Australia at only 1.2% of all waters.
Science-based sanctuary improvements are needed within all the existing marine parks in the Coral Sea, Temperate East, South-west, North-west and North regions. This review should also assess protection gaps beyond existing parks, including along the continental shelf.
This review is also an opportunity to remove destructive industrial activities such as bottom trawling, seismic blasting and seabed mining from Australia’s marine parks. I urge the Australian Government to remove destructive industrial activities from federal marine parks, as they did in 2025 with the South-east region. Bottom trawling should be added to the list of activities that should not be permitted inside Australia’s federal marine parks.
I recognise that Traditional Owner knowledge, cultural values and governance are essential to effective marine park management and the long-term health of our oceans. Marine protected areas must respect Indigenous rights, knowledge and connections to Sea Country.
Please count this as my submission into the Notice of Intent consultation for the Coral Sea, Temperate East, North, North-west and South-west Marine Parks regions, and into the Proclamation proposal consultation for the proposed expansion around Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands.
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What areas are under review?
The Australian Government is reviewing marine park protection in a vast part of our offshore Commonwealth waters.
As part of the current phase of the review, the Australian Government is seeking feedback on its proposal to expand the marine sanctuaries around Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island, as well as which areas need better protection in the offshore waters around most of the mainland.
The review includes offshore Commonwealth waters from 5.5 kilometres offshore, right out to 370 kilometres offshore (i.e. from 3 to 200 nautical miles).
This review does not include coastal waters managed by state and territory governments, which extend from the coast out to 5.5 kilometres offshore. It also does not include offshore Commonwealth waters in the South-east marine region around Tasmania and Victoria because that region has already been reviewed. Thanks to the support of people like you, 80,000 square kilometres of new marine sanctuaries were added to the region during its review. Add your name now to help make an even bigger impact this time!
This is our chance to ensure we protect our fragile ocean and have great fishing outside marine sanctuaries – a win-win for conservation and lifestyle.