Healthy Oceans

The Great Barrier Reef faces an existential threat due to climate change, with 75% of its coral bleached from extreme ocean warming.

While the Greens advocate for urgent climate action and reforms to protect the Reef, Labor remains tied to weak climate targets and vested fossil fuel interests, and the Liberals consistently deny the urgency of the climate crisis.

The Greens' plan:

• Take the climate action needed to save the Great Barrier Reef by ending new coal and gas.
• Boost funding to protect the Great Barrier Reef with $4.17 billion in additional funding.

The southward range extension of the native long-spined sea urchin, Centro (Centrostephanus rodgersii), threatens Sea Country, marine biodiversity, and the livelihoods of coastal communities in the eastern reaches of the Great Southern Reef.

The climate-driven southward range expansion of Centro is one of the largest and most immediate threats to kelp-dominated reef ecosystems in south-eastern Australia.

The Greens' plan:

• Fund a national investment of $55 million into Centrostephanus control, guided by a five-year action plan.
• This funding includes establishing a separate National Centrostephanus Advisory Group including representatives from First Nations, industry, researchers, commercial dive, processing and the recreational dive sector, to provide guidance, codesign, coordination and delivery.

In the face of a biodiversity crisis, the government persists with outdated and harmful anti-shark measures, ignoring their devastating impact on marine ecosystems.

Sharks are vital to ocean health, yet their populations have plummeted by 70% since the 1970s due to overfishing and ineffective management.

The Greens' plan:

• Protect shark populations in Australian waters with a $60 million commitment.
• Advance non-lethal shark control measures with $50 million over ten years to replace harmful nets and drumlines.
• Enhance safety for ocean users by creating a National Sharks Working Group with $5 million in funding.
• Improve research and public awareness through a $5 million investment in a national database of shark control interactions.
• Protect marine life by ending federal exemptions for lethal shark nets and drumlines.
• Ensure accountability and effectiveness by having the ACCC assess shark mitigation technologies and set national standards.

Exploratory work undertaken for offshore projects, including seismic blasting, has drawn significant criticism and scientific attention because of its impact on marine life.

There is no excuse for our oceans, communities, and coastlines to be put at risk for the sake of a few profit-driven fossil fuel interests.

Stopping seismic testing is essential to protecting marine biodiversity and preventing further ocean harm.

The Greens' plan:

• Legislate a ban on offshore seismic blasting in our oceans.

Australia’s Great Southern Reef is a global biodiversity hotspot, home to ~75% of species found nowhere else and valued at over $11 billion annually, yet it receives virtually no federal funding despite facing the same pressures as the Great Barrier Reef.

Stakeholders emphasise the need for a national coordination agency to raise awareness and protect this iconic natural asset, which supports industries, biodiversity, and communities along 8000 km of coastline.

The Greens' plan:

• Commit $155 million over five years to restore and protect the Great Southern Reef.

Australia’s marine parks have been undermined by cutbacks to sanctuary protections and exposure to commercial fishing and fossil fuel exploration, leaving vital ecosystems at risk.

The Greens advocate for expanding marine sanctuaries to create a comprehensive, science-based network that protects biodiversity, supports healthy oceans, and builds resilience against climate change.

This includes establishing three new Marine Parks in the Southern Ocean around the East Antarctic, Weddell Sea, and Antarctic Peninsula.

The Greens' plan:

• Strengthen Australia’s marine parks with a $146 million commitment over four years to improve protection and management, as outlined below.
  • Enhance marine parks research and monitoring with $30 million to ensure evidence-based management and inform statutory reviews.
  • $30 million will support First Nations Traditional Owners’ participation in marine park development and management, including capacity building and Sea Country planning.
  • Maintain core funding of $56 million for marine park operations, enforcement, compliance, and statutory reviews.
  • Expand marine park networks in economically constrained regions with $5 million to support small state and territory governments.
  • Boost engagement and restoration efforts with $20 million for Parks Australia’s Marine Parks Grants and Oceans Discovery and Restoration programs.
  • Support local communities in Indian Ocean Territories with $5 million for research, monitoring, and engagement in Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands Marine Parks.

Decades of neglect and the impacts of climate change have led to unsustainable practices and ecological harm in Australian fisheries.

The Greens will commit $129 million to strengthen fisheries management and protect marine ecosystems, ensuring a sustainable future for fish stocks and ocean life.

Federal leadership is essential to safeguarding marine ecosystems in the face of the climate crisis.

The Greens' plan:

• Improve access for small and community fishers with $50 million over five years to acquire public quota for divers, small and lease fishers, First Nations fishers, and other stakeholders.
• Support small and lease fishers with $50 million over five years to establish a loan facility for purchasing quotas, vessels, and equipment in Commonwealth-managed fisheries.
• Implement recommendations from the 2012 Review of Commonwealth Fisheries to address ecosystem effects, bycatch, discard issues and enhance sustainability and transparency in fisheries.
• Incorporate ecological expertise into fisheries management plans, harvest strategies, and allowable catch settings through a formal and transparent process.
• Increase accountability by surveying and publishing net economic returns for all Commonwealth fisheries and adopting annual public reporting metrics.
• Explore resource rents and access payment schemes with research into their suitability for Commonwealth fisheries.
• Strengthen sustainability and community benefits by reviewing fisheries legislation to control foreign interests and improve fisheries management.
• Promote transparency by establishing a register of Australian and non-Australian fishing interests.