Australia is a nation surrounded by water but is the driest continent
on earth. Its water resources are limited and what we do in the river
catchments eventually has a major impact on the coasts and oceans. The
quality of life for future generations, and of the environment in which
they will live, rests to a large extent on healthy river and coastal
systems.
Inter-governmental coordination
The Committee believes that the Government should consider the establishment
of a single authority to coordinate the development of river catchment,
coastal and marine policies, and the sustainable management and use
of marine resources, including an adequately supported and coordinated
program of marine research. Specifically, the Committee recommends the
following:
The Committee recommends that the Government consider the establishment
of a central authority to coordinate coastal and marine affairs. Such
an authority would consult with all spheres of government to facilitate
the development of coherent policies across different jurisdictions
for the management of Australia's coasts and oceans and of activities
which affect Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone, including consideration
of land-based issues. (Recommendation 1)
The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government work with
State and/or local authorities, as appropriate, to:
- make marine affairs a standing item on the agenda of COAG meetings
(Recommendation 2);
- develop clear, enforceable, guidelines, based on appropriate research,
for the quality of discharges into the marine environment, through sewerage
systems or direct to water, and to develop the necessary legislation
to make such guidelines legally binding (Recommendation 3);
- amend the National Environment Protection Council legislation in
order to give the Council wider powers to make National Environment
Protection Measures, and to pass the necessary legislation in each jurisdiction
(Recommendation 4);
- develop coherent and effective policies and management practices
at local level which protect the coastal and marine environments, including
clear guidelines and enforceable environmental standards for residential,
commercial and industrial developments (Recommendation 5);
- oversee catchment management policies from the perspective of their
eventual impact on the marine environment, and to develop strategies
to ensure that catchment management committees are genuinely representative
of catchment communities (Recommendation 6);
- address the issue of acid sulphate soils and their impact on the
marine environment, including the development of legislation and management
strategies to control activities on areas affected and to rehabilitate
those areas already disturbed (Recommendation 7);
- set uniform target dates for the elimination of discharges of untreated
sewage to the sea, and to explore land based treatment strategies wherever
environmentally possible (Recommendation 8);
- develop integrated strategies for dealing with stormwater, including
sewage overflows into stormwater systems, and to develop clear, enforceable
guidelines assigning responsibility for the management of stormwater
and the maintenance of the relevant infrastructure (Recommendation 9);
- encourage the development of effective on-site wastewater technologies,
and the necessary standards, and the treatment and reuse of urban stormwater
and household effluent in new housing developments; and the modification
of existing systems to the maximum extent possible (Recommendation 10);
- explore the desirability of large-scale reuse of treated effluent
and stormwater for industrial and agricultural purposes (Recommendation
11);
- extend the protection of mangrove and wetland areas, especially in
areas under threat from coastal development and harmful discharges,
and to rehabilitate degraded areas wherever possible (Recommendation
12);
- develop strategies to prevent further damage to seagrass beds from
the effects of coastal development, sewage and stormwater outfalls and
diffuse run-off from agricultural activities (Recommendation 13);
- develop and review standards and procedures relating to the prevention
and control of oil spills in Australian waters, in consultation with
the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and other relevant bodies,
including the development of management plans for fishing vessels and
small pleasure craft in the nearshore zone (Recommendation 14);
- develop uniform national standards and fee structures for the disposal
of ships' waste and to incorporate waste reception fees into general
port dues in order to discourage dumping of waste at sea to avoid waste
reception fees (Recommendation 15);
- negotiate an agreement on the domestic movement of ballast water
and to explore with industry and other stakeholders the potential for
legislation to implement the Australian Ballast Water Management
Guidelines (Recommendation 16);
- develop uniform legislation requiring local councils to provide information
relating to the health of the marine environment and the impact of proposed
developments, waste disposal practices and licence conditions, on request
(Recommendation 23);
- develop models for community participation in local authority processes,
and uniform legislation requiring local councils to provide opportunities
for the community to be involved in the decision making process relating
to proposed developments and their impact on the environment (Recommendation
24);
- provide opportunities, such as those offered by Coastcare, for members
of the community to participate in monitoring and management of the
marine environment and in the formulation of policies and programs relating
to such activities (Recommendation 25);
- explore the possibility of establishing marine science courses, with
equal status to other tertiary entrance subjects, in all States, and
to provide funding for marine resource centres at strategically located
schools (Recommendation 27);
- provide funds to relevant peak industry bodies, including
the tourism sector, to develop educational materials for use within
particular industries, in schools and in the general community (Recommendation
28).
Research and Information Management
The Committee believes that central to maintaining the health of the
marine environment is an adequate understanding of it. There has been
insufficient research to establish the benchmarks from which further
degradation or restoration of marine ecosystems can be measured. Our
knowledge of the marine environment is uneven, and varies significantly
according to location or the resources applied to particular issues.
The Committee recommends:
- continuing Commonwealth support for strategic ballast water research
and for specific programs such as the research conducted by the National
Seastar Task Force (Recommendation 17);
- the replacement of discharge standards based on concentration of
pollutants by stronger standards based on scientific understanding of
particular marine ecosystems, and the negotiation of uniform standards,
where appropriate, to avoid competitive undermining of standards in
different jurisdictions (Recommendation 18);
- the provision in the National Marine Science and Technology Plan
of secure, long-term funding to support taxonomic research and museum
collections (Recommendation 19);
- the establishment of a system of Commonwealth funded scholarships
and research fellowships attached to particular museums, to ensure the
supply of appropriately trained marine scientists (Recommendation 20);
- a Commonwealth funded group of scientists attached to an existing
museum or university to undertake study of Australia's southern waters
(Recommendation 21);
- the coordination and standardisation of the collection and management
of information relating to the marine environment, and ease of access
to that information (Recommendation 22).
Community involvement and education
The Committee found a sense of frustration in the general community
in relation to marine issues. There is a high level of interest and
concern but a sense of powerlessness when it comes to having effective
influence on decision making processes, both in the immediate local
area and more widely. The Committee believes that the community has
a major role to play in the formulation of policies and management practices,
and in their implementation.
Central to that participation is the availability of information and
the general level of understanding of relevant issues. Education is
a key factor, and the formal education system has a major role to play
in the development of knowledge and awareness of marine issues.
The Committee recommends:
- the development of strategies to ensure that catchment management
committees are genuinely representative of catchment communities (Recommendation
6);
- the development of uniform legislation requiring local councils to
provide information relating to the health of the marine environment
and the impact of proposed developments, waste disposal practices and
licence conditions, on request (Recommendation 23);
- the development of models for community participation in local authority
processes, and uniform legislation requiring local councils to provide
opportunities for the community to be involved in the decision making
process relating to proposed developments and their impact on the marine
environment (Recommendation 24);
- the provision of opportunities, such as those offered by Coastcare,
for members of the community to participate in monitoring and management
of the marine environment and in the formulation of policies and programs
relating to such activities (Recommendation 25);
- the development of strategies to assist indigenous communities in
the management of their parts of the coastal zone (Recommendation 26);
- the consideration of establishing marine science courses, with equal
status to other tertiary entrance subjects, in all States, and to provide
funding for marine resource centres at strategically located schools
(Recommendation 27);
- the provision of funds to relevant peak industry bodies, including
the tourism sector, to develop educational materials for use within
particular industries, in schools and in the general community (Recommendation
28);
- the development of a general media campaign, such as the Do The Right
Thing campaign, to raise community awareness of marine pollution issues
and the effect of everyday activities, including those in the home,
on the marine environment (Recommendation 29).