The MPA proposals were released yesterday, outlining a network of 11 MPAs extending from offshore South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and New South Wales.
Federal environment minister Senator Ian Campbell said Australia’s Southeast Marine Region was the first representative deepwater conservation network in the world.
In a statement released yesterday, APPEA chief executive Belinda Robinson said the proposals confirmed the benefits of the government consultation with environmental and industry groups.
“The upstream oil and gas industry is particularly pleased to see that the Australian Government has adopted a constructive, objectives-based approach and resisted calls from some quarters to apply an arbitrary and ultimately meaningless target for protecting marine areas,” Robinson said.
Robinson said the MPA proposals struck an appropriate balance “where industry operations can sit comfortably with the protection of our unique marine assets.”
Senator Campbell said significant areas within the proposed MPAs were largely unexplored and likely to harbour unknown species.
Campbell said the MPA proposals include a $150 million licence buyback scheme for fishing industries affected by the creation of high-protection areas.
“The details of the MPAs, together with information about the future management arrangements that will operate in the Southeast Fisheries, will ensure that fishermen are able to make informed decisions about whether to exit or stay in the industry,” he said.
The Southeast MPA program has been fast-tracked and is said to be the first step in a National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas in Commonwealth waters, including the protection of inland waterways.
The proposed MPA network is now subject to public consultation. The Australian Government plans to settle the final MPA boundaries by March 2006 and formally declare them under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act later that year.
APPEA said if the MPA proposals were finalised in their current form, they would deliver an integrated package of environmental protection and industry certainty.
“It appears the Government has adopted a mature approach that is based on robust science that delivers on its environmental protection objectives,” Robinson said.
“The oil and gas sector industry has a vital interest in accessing prospective offshore waters for exploration but, equally, we recognise the great environmental values of some of these areas.”
