“We have worked closely over many months with the Government on this matter and the results announced today provide further evidence of the balanced and co-operative approach by the various parties towards protecting Australia’s unique marine assets,” APPEA chief executive Belinda Robinson said.

The oil and gas sector believed the decision delivered a balanced package of environmental protection and industry certainty, according to Robinson.

“Clearly, from our industry’s perspective, we can sit comfortably with the protection of these new areas - while at the same time still being able to get on with the job of accessing prospective offshore waters for the oil and gas exploration that is so crucial to Australia’s economic future,” she said.

“The Government has maintained its constructive, objectives-based approach throughout this process and resisted calls from some quarters to apply an arbitrary and ultimately meaningless target for protecting marine areas."

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