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Department of the Environment and Heritage annual report 2004-05

Volume one
Department of the Environment and Heritage, 2005
ISSN 1441 9335

Contents > Previous > Next

Outcome 1 - Environment (continued)

In this section

Coasts and oceans

The Department of the Environment and Heritage contributes to the ecologically sustainable management of Australia's coasts and oceans.

Main responsibilities relevant to this output

Land, Water and Coasts Division

Marine Division (includes the National Oceans Office)

Natural Resource Management Programmes Division

Objectives

Main results

Coastal zone management framework

The department is working with all levels of government to address nationally important coastal issues. This work comes under the Framework for a National Cooperative Approach to Integrated Coastal Zone Management. The framework is an agreement by federal, state and territory governments about how to deal with problems like coastal pollution and marine pests.

The main focus of the department’s activities during the year was working with the Intergovernmental Coastal Advisory Group to develop an implementation plan for the framework. The Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council (a council of government ministers responsible for collective national decisions about the conservation and sustainable use of Australia’s natural resources) approved the implementation plan in 2004 subject to the agreement by all jurisdictions. The plan will operate over the period 2005–2015. All jurisdictions except Western Australia and Queensland have agreed to the plan.

The main implementation measures for which the department is responsible include those relating to coastal and estuarine water quality, marine debris, managing disposal of wastes from recreational vessels, understanding climate change and planning for population change.

Project expenditure during 2004–05 was $0.1 million from the national component of the Natural Heritage Trust, on contributions to workshops to help engage local government and other stakeholders in the process.

Coastal water quality and wetlands conservation

Federal, state, territory and local governments have identified coastal and urban water quality ‘hotspots’. Water quality hotspots are places like the Parramatta River, Moreton Bay and Port Phillip Bay, where management action is needed to protect or improve water quality.

A particular priority for the Australian Government is to protect the Great Barrier Reef from pollution due to land-based activities in Queensland. An important aspect of this work is protecting Queensland’s coastal wetlands, which filter the water entering the Great Barrier Reef lagoon.

The department administers three linked programmes to protect or improve water quality in these hotspots:

Coastal Catchments Initiative

The Coastal Catchments Initiative aims to protect and improve water quality in coastal water quality hotspots. Funding administered by the department helps state agencies, regional bodies and local authorities develop and implement water quality improvement plans, which set water quality, environmental flow and management action targets to protect the values of coastal water quality hotspots.

Wetland regeneration

Wetland regeneration

The Coasta Catchments Initiative is funding priority projects to protect water quality, such as this tree planting to help capture sediment and nutrient in the Douglas Shire, Queensland.
Photo: N Hardy

Water quality improvement plans are prepared in accordance with the Australian Government’s Framework for Marine and Estuarine Water Quality Protection.

In the 2004 Budget, as part of its commitment to the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan, the Australian Government added $9 million from the Natural Heritage Trust to the Coastal Catchments Initiative. The additional funding covers the period from 2004–2006. The department is using this funding to support water quality improvement plans and priority projects in catchments that pose the highest risks to reef water quality.

Water quality improvement plans are also being developed for the Derwent Estuary (Tasmania), Moreton Bay and for the waterways in the Douglas Shire (Queensland), Peel Inlet and Harvey Estuary (Western Australia) and Adelaide’s Port Waterways. During 2004–05 the department completed preparatory work leading to agreed contracts and startup payments for further water quality improvement plans, with project work to meaningfully commence in 2005–06. The plans for the Derwent Estuary, Douglas Shire, Port Waterways and Peel Inlet and Harvey Estuary are due to be completed during 2005–06. In total eight Coastal Catchments Initiative hotspots now have plans in preparation.

The Coastal Catchments Initiative also invests in projects that help to overcome institutional and regulatory barriers to water quality protection and improvement, that manage growth to prevent additional pollution loads from development, and that develop models and decision-making tools to support water quality improvement.

Reef Water Quality Protection Plan

The Reef Water Quality Protection Plan aims to halt and reverse the decline in water quality entering the Great Barrier Reef by 2013. The department shares responsibility for implementing the reef plan with other government agencies and the community. The department’s role is to help to fund activities under the plan from the national component of the Natural Heritage Trust and from the Queensland Wetlands Programme. Major Natural Heritage Trust projects supporting the reef plan during 2004–05 included:

The first annual report for the reef plan was released in February 2005 and is available at www.deh.gov.au/coasts/publications/annual-report.

An independent audit of the implementation of the reef plan was undertaken during the year.

Queensland Wetlands Programme

The Queensland Wetlands Programme has two components.

The Natural Heritage Trust Extension Wetlands Programme supports Queensland in the development and implementation of statutory arrangements to protect wetlands. The programme provided $1.3 million during 2004–05 to develop information about Queensland’s wetlands (including comprehensive mapping, management profiles for wetlands, and analysis of the information available about Queensland wetlands) and to develop a method for reporting on whether programme objectives are being met.

The Great Barrier Reef Coastal Wetlands Protection Programme protects and restores privately owned wetlands in the Great Barrier Reef catchment that contribute to water quality in the Great Barrier Reef, and that have significant habitat values. The programme provided $2 million to set up a pilot programme to engage the community in protecting important wetlands, to help the Queensland Government acquire wetlands, to develop a decision support system to identify wetlands for investment, and to produce education products. The Australian Government allocated $2 million over two years (2004–2006) to implement the pilot programme. The department contracted delivery of the pilot programme to a consortium of Conservation Volunteers Australia, Wetland Care Australia, the CSIRO and the Australian Centre for Tropical Freshwater Research. An independent reference group was established to advise the consortium about delivering the pilot programme.

Marine pest management framework

Federal, state and territory government agencies are working to establish a permanent National System for the Prevention and Management of Introduced Marine Pest Incursions. The national system is a way for government agencies to coordinate their efforts to:

At the 8th Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council meeting the Australian, Victorian, Tasmanian and Northern Territory governments agreed to implement the national system. Under the agreement governments will establish permanent cost-sharing and coordination arrangements for responding to new pest outbreaks, pest control plans, and a coastal regime for managing ballast water and biofouling.

The Australian Government committed $3 million over two years (2004–2006) from the national component of the Natural Heritage Trust for research and development necessary to implement the national system. Project expenditure during 2004–05 was $0.7 million to establish pest control plans and to detect, identify and reduce the spread of marine pests. A number of specific projects remain in progress, including:

See also: regional collaborations.

Migratory species protection

The department works internationally to protect species like waterbirds and turtles that migrate to other countries. In Australia, the provisions of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 apply. The report on the operation of the Act in the second volume of this set of annual reports has more details about migratory species protection, including progress with wildlife conservation plans, bilateral agreements and regional partnerships.

Project expenditure during 2004–05 was $0.6 million from the national component of the Natural Heritage Trust, including funding Australia’s participation in international meetings.

See also: Agreement for the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels; Ramsar Convention.

Marine species protection

The department’s role in protecting threatened species applies in marine environments. The department is on track to have marine species recovery plans and threat abatement plans in place by the deadlines that apply under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. During the year the great white shark was successfully listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (or CITES) in the largest ever vote for a marine species nomination. The department is also investigating whether traditional harvesting of turtles and dugongs is ecologically sustainable. The report on the operation of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 in the second volume of this set of annual reports has more details about marine species protection, including progress in recovery and threat abatement plans.

Project expenditure during 2004–05 was $0.6 million from the national component of the Natural Heritage Trust, mainly on recovery plans.

See also: whale protection; international whaling.

Reef fisheries adjustment package

(Administered item)

In January 2004 the Australian Government released a policy statement about providing assistance to fishers, fishing-related businesses and fishing-dependent communities after the government declares or rezones a marine protected area (see www.deh.gov.au/coasts/mpa/displaced-fishing.html).

The structural adjustment package provided following the rezoning of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in July 2004 is the first application of this policy. The department is administering the package, which is aimed at assisting those adversely impacted by the rezoning, and managing the economic and ecological impacts of fishing displaced from closed areas. It includes a fishing licence buy-out scheme, business assistance and access to social support for fishers and others impacted by the changes.

The Australian Government announced the package on 30 June 2004 and modified it in August 2004 based on feedback from the fishing industry. The changes improved access to the package, including by the introduction of a simplified business restructuring assistance option, and increased the cap on business restructuring assistance from $0.2 million to $0.5 million per business.

Licence buy-out completed

The department established targets for the fishing licence buy-out with the assistance of a technical advisory committee that included industry representatives. The targets were based on reducing commercial catches by an amount equivalent to that previously taken in areas closed under the rezoning.

Fishing businesses affected by the rezoning offered to sell 583 licences to government. Following an assessment of offers on 10 December 2004 the Australian Government agreed to buy 115 commercial fishing licences and four Reef Quota symbols, or just fewer than 20 per cent of the total on offer, at a total cost of $32.2 million. Removing this amount of effort gave those businesses remaining in the industry the best chance of staying viable. Businesses had the opportunity to appeal government decisions.

Other major components of the package are ongoing. As at 30 June 2005 the Australian Government had approved $7.6 million in business restructuring assistance, which will help businesses that remain in the industry to restructure their operations.

Marine protected areas

The department, on behalf of the Director of National Parks, manages an estate of marine protected areas that are Commonwealth reserves under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Project expenditure during 2004–05 was $3.7 million from the national component of the Natural Heritage Trust. This funding contributed to the development of new marine protected areas and the management of the existing marine protected area network.

Progress with new marine protected areas

Since 1996 the Australian Government has declared six new marine protected areas, increasing the area of its estate of marine protected areas by approximately 68 per cent. This estate forms part of Australia’s National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas. Since 2003 the department has been working with key stakeholder groups to extend the national system through the Australian Government’s regional marine planning process.

With the release of the South-east Regional Marine Plan in May 2004, the Australian Government proposed two candidate marine protected areas off south-eastern Australia, with options for further marine protected areas to be developed in another nine ‘broad areas of interest’.

The department commenced a fishing risk assessment to help determine the fishing activities that may be permitted in multiple use zones of marine reserves in the south-east region. This was expected to be completed in October 2005, enabling the process of working with stakeholders to identify marine protected areas in the south-east to resume.

Management of existing marine protected areas

Management functions were provided for the existing protected areas; some functions were delivered by state agencies. The management budget covered key functions such as research, monitoring, compliance and enforcement.

Details are set out in the annual report of the Director of National Parks (www.deh.gov.au/about/annual-report).

Australia’s Oceans Policy

The National Oceans Office was brought into the department as part of new administrative arrangements announced after the October 2004 election (see Changes since the 2004–05 Budget). The National Oceans Office continues to implement and develop Australia’s 1998 Oceans Policy within the department’s Marine Division.

In other changes, the Minister for the Environment and Heritage now takes lead responsibility for Oceans Policy development, consulting other ministers where required. The National Oceans Advisory Group (one of the administrative bodies for the Oceans Policy) now reports to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage. For more details on the new arrangements see www.oceans.gov.au/the_oceans_policy_overview.jsp.

National agreement on oceans management

The National Oceans Office is working through the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council and its subsidiary bodies to develop:

At its 7th meeting on 6 December 2004 the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council agreed to use a Framework for a National Approach to Integrated Oceans Management. The framework sets out a cross-jurisdictional approach to managing Australia’s oceans. It will help governments to coordinate their activities and work across sectors to deliver ecologically sustainable development. The framework confirms the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council as the lead ministerial council for integrated oceans
management issues across jurisdictions.

Census of Marine Life

Along with participating in the discovery of our marine biodiversity through marine surveys (discussed under ‘Regional marine plans’), the National Oceans Office is also improving access to scientific knowledge about Australia’s oceans.

The National Oceans Office is leading Australian participation in the Census of Marine Life, an international research programme to assess the diversity, distribution and abundance of marine organisms due for completion in 2010. The Sloan Foundation, a philanthropic fund based in the United States, is sponsoring the programme. With the support of the Sloan Foundation, the National Oceans Office has established a national steering committee for the census in Australia.

One aspect of the programme is an Ocean Biogeographic Information System, a distributed database that will allow researchers to depict the distribution and abundance of marine life in three dimensions.

In December 2004 the National Oceans Office started to develop an Australian regional node for the Ocean Biogeographic Information System in partnership with CSIRO Marine Research. The Sloan Foundation is providing $0.2 million to help establish the Australian node.

See also: Census of Antarctic Marine Life.

Oceans Portal

The National Oceans Office is also developing the Oceans Portal, an internet-based tool that will provide a one-stop-shop registry of marine data and services. The portal will include technology and content standards that scientists and managers can use to integrate multi-disciplinary data.

The portal is being developed through the Australian Ocean Data Centre Joint Facility, a consortium of CSIRO, Geoscience Australia, the Department of Defence, the Bureau of Meteorology, the Australian Antarctic Division and the Australian Institute of Marine Science. The National Oceans Office expects the core components of the portal will be completed by December 2005.

International marine conservation

The seas and seabed beyond the national jurisdiction of individual countries - the ocean ‘commons’ - contain significant biodiversity, much of it new to science, diverse, unique and fragile.

Over the past 10 years Australia has consistently called for better international legal regimes and management measures to conserve high seas biodiversity and combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. Australia, led by the department, promotes better high seas management through the United Nations and other forums including the Convention on Biological Diversity and the World Conservation Congress.

United Nations

The United Nations General Assembly resolved on 17 November 2004 to establish a ‘UN Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal Working Group to study the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction’. Australia co-sponsored this resolution and will use this working group to continue its strong advocacy for a responsible global approach to the conservation of high seas biodiversity.

At the 6th meeting of the United Nations open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea (UNICPOLOS) in June 2005, Australia, led by the department, promoted the need for responsible and sustainably managed high seas fishing including the need to prevent illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and measures to reduce bycatch of species such as seabirds and cetaceans. Australia also called for action to address marine debris such as discarded fishing nets, which can have a devastating impact on marine life. The recommendations from this process will be passed to the United Nations General Assembly for international debate and action.

Regional collaborations

Australia is helping to improve the management of the oceans of the region through the Asia–Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) structure. The department represents Australia on the APEC Marine Resource Conservation Working Group and runs programmes and workshops to help build capacity and knowledge on marine conservation throughout the APEC region.

During 2004–05 APEC leaders endorsed a project proposed by Australia to develop a management framework for introduced marine pests in APEC economies. The endorsement of the project by APEC leaders confirms the importance of combating introduced marine pests in the region.

Australia is also assisting regional marine conservation and management through the Arafura and Timor Seas Experts Forum. This forum is one of Australia’s major ‘Type II’ partnership initiatives from the World Summit on Sustainable Development. The forum facilitates cooperative research and better sharing of information between governments, scientific bodies and non-government interests in Australia, Indonesia and Timor Leste in order to improve sustainable management of living marine resources in the region.

Regional marine plans

Under Australia’s Oceans Policy the National Oceans Office is developing regional marine plans. Regional marine plans will integrate management of the oceans in order to maintain marine ecosystems and promote sustainable development. This includes identifying conservation measures such as new marine protected areas in each offshore region (see Marine protected areas). A particular focus of the department’s work during the year was reviewing the links between regional marine planning and marine protected areas.

Regional marine plans are underpinned by the best available science, including major scientific surveys. As part of developing the plans, the National Oceans Office also compiles relevant social and economic knowledge. The office publishes the results of surveys and reviews as atlases that can be used to aid a broad understanding of the region and help in management.

South-east Regional Marine Plan

Australia’s first regional marine plan, the South-east Regional Marine Plan, was released in May 2004 for an area of about two million square kilometres of ocean waters off the south-east of the continent.

With 93 actions to be completed over the next 10 years, the National Oceans Office has developed a web-based progress reporting tool for the South-east Regional Marine Plan. This will streamline monitoring and make information about progress in implementing the plan easily accessible to the public.

As part of implementing the South-east Regional Marine Plan, the Kooyang Sea Country Plan was released on 29 April 2005. The plan identifies key values and management priorities for the local Indigenous communities in a part of southwestern Victoria, including more than 700 hectares in Indigenous protected areas. The Framlingham Aboriginal Trust and Winda Mara Aboriginal Corporation prepared the plan. National Oceans Office expenditure on this project was $0.1 million in 2004–05. Work has started on a second sea country plan for the Coorong in South Australia.

See also: Indigenous Protected Areas Programme.

Northern Regional Marine Plan

Northern Australian waters between the Goulburn Islands to the west and the Torres Strait to the east are the focus of the second regional marine planning process. The Northern Regional Marine Plan is under development and covers around 700 000 square kilometres.

The National Oceans Office finalised the scoping phase of the northern marine planning process with the release of the Northern Scoping Report in September 2004. An expert-based Northern Planning Advisory Committee was established in October 2004 to prepare advice on how the themes and objectives identified in the scoping report should be progressed. The advisory committee provided this advice to the National Oceans Office in May 2005.

To assist in building a knowledge base for planning, a number of other reports and projects were completed during 2004–05 including:

A Northern Fisheries Atlas showing catch and effort for commercial, recreational and Indigenous fisheries was also developed.

As a separate component to the northern planning process, the National Oceans Office identified marine planning needs in Torres Strait. The regional marine planning process for the Torres Strait complements the Natural Heritage Trust-funded natural resource management planning process (see Administration of the Natural Heritage Trust). Marine planning issues in the Torres Strait region include conservation needs, the relationship between Torres Strait Islander involvement in fisheries, fisheries management and economic development programmes, natural resource governance arrangements under the Torres Strait Treaty, and the Moratorium on Seabed Drilling and Mining.

The Northern Regional Marine Plan is expected to be released in 2006–07.

South-west Regional Marine Plan

Preliminary work has commenced for a third regional marine plan, the Southwest Regional Marine Plan, which will cover waters adjacent to South Australia and Western Australia, from Kangaroo Island to the mid-west coast of Western Australia.

Discussions continue with the South Australian and Western Australian governments over their role in a cooperative and integrated approach to marine planning in both Commonwealth and state waters.

Preliminary assessment work has commenced, with National Oceans Office expenditure of $0.2 million in 2004–05. Projects are under way to assess:

The National Oceans Office will also produce a marine atlas to map the distribution of human uses, management measures and environmental features in the region.

Marine surveys

The National Oceans Office is contributing:

During the year a partnership between the Nationals Oceans Office, Geoscience Australia and the CSIRO saw the launch of a $2.5 million multibeam echo sounder, or swath mapper, on the RV Southern Surveyor. A major part of the commitment to this partnership was funding of $2 million in 2004–05 for 50 days of sea time on the RV Southern Surveyor spread across three voyages, two in the southern Gulf of Carpentaria and one in the Arafura Sea, as part of the northern regional marine planning process.

The Gulf of Carpentaria voyages identified thriving coral reefs in areas previously thought to be too turbid to support coral. The aim of the Arafura Sea voyage was to explore areas of the ocean floor in the Arafura Sea for natural hydrocarbon seeps and to study their effect on the environment. Preliminary results include the discovery of new species.

Also in northern Australia, the National Oceans Office coordinated an investigation of seagrass habitats through the North Australian Marine Biodiversity Survey. The survey was designed to assist the Australian, Northern Territory and Queensland governments in managing northern Australian waters, to build partnerships and promote sharing of knowledge between governments, researchers and Indigenous people, and to build the capacity of Aboriginal communities to engage in future research and management initiatives. The survey covered waters that had not been investigated by scientists since the early 19th century expeditions of the Mermaid and the Beagle (see biodiversity survey map). It included:

North Australian marine biodiversity survey

North Australian marine biodiversity survey
National Marine Bioregionalisation

The National Oceans Office completed the National Marine Bioregionalisation in 2004–05. This study was a cooperative project with CSIRO Marine Research, Geoscience Australia and a national working group of Australian, state and Northern Territory government experts. The study brought together biological, geological and oceanographic data to classify Australia’s marine environment into regions that make sense ecologically and are at a scale useful for regional marine planning. The resulting regionalisation adds to the existing Interim Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia.

Coastcare

(Administered item - part of the Natural Heritage Trust)

Coastcare is that part of the Natural Heritage Trust invested in protecting coastal catchments, ecosystems and the marine environment. Total expenditure under Coastcare was $58.3 million in 2004–05. Results are reported in the annual reports of the Natural Heritage Trust available at www.nht.gov.au/publications/index.html#annual-reports.

See also: administration of the Natural Heritage Trust.

Results for performance indicators
Performance indicator 2004–05 results
Programme administration
Coastal Catchments Initiative (See also Natural Heritage Trust annual report)
Number of projects or activities approved under each programme 35 projects and activities managed in 2004–05
Number of agreements, plans and management arrangements put in place Progress was made towards 5 water quality improvement plans and agreements
Degree to which projects, activities, agreements or plans contribute to the output High—supported water quality improvement plans
Reef Water Quality Protection Plan (See also Natural Heritage Trust annual report)
Number of projects or activities approved under each programme 8 projects
Degree to which projects, activities, agreements or plans contribute to the output High—supported the reef plan
Natural Heritage Trust Extension Wetlands Programme (See also Natural Heritage Trust annual report)
Number of projects or activities approved under each programme 4 projects
Degree to which projects, activities, agreements or plans contribute to the output High—supported wetlands conservation
Great Barrier Reef Coastal Wetlands Protection Programme
Number of projects or activities approved under each programme 4 projects
Degree to which projects, activities, agreements or plans contribute to the output High—supported wetlands conservation
Introduced Marine Pests Programme (See also Natural Heritage Trust annual report)
Number of projects or activities approved under each programme 9 projects
Number of agreements, plans and management arrangements put in place 1 intergovernmental agreement
Degree to which projects, activities, agreements or plans contribute to the output High—supported national response to marine pests
Marine Species Protection Programme (See also Natural Heritage Trust annual report)
Number of projects or activities approved under each programme 14 projects
Number of agreements, plans and management arrangements put in place 13 recovery plans
Degree to which projects, activities, agreements or plans contribute to the output High—supported protection of marine species
Marine Protected Areas Programme (See annual reports for Natural Heritage Trust and Director of National Parks)
Number of projects or activities approved under each programme (See annual reports for Natural Heritage Trust and Director of National Parks)
Number of agreements, plans and management arrangements put in place (See annual reports for Natural Heritage Trust and Director of National Parks)
Degree to which projects, activities, agreements or plans contribute to the output High—supported management of existing marine protected areas and development of future marine protected areas
All programmes
Extent to which (self-imposed, ministerial or external) timeframes are met High—timeframes met in accordance with departmental standards
Accurate and timely approval, payment and acquittal of grants in accordance with legislation and guidelines Funding was provided under financial agreements that reflect accountability, reporting and acquittal procedures
Accurate and timely payment of monies 100% of payments made in accordance with terms and conditions of financial agreements
Boat Harbour and Sisters Beach, Tasmania (Administered item)
Extent to which the project will achieve government objectives High—project objectives were met through the construction of a wastewater treatment plant at Shelter Point and new sewerage infrastructure at Boat Harbour Beach to improve the water quality of Boat Harbour Beach, while infrastructure and a wastewater treatment plant for the Sisters Beach and Lake Llewellyn communities have improved coastal water quality
Number of milestones achieved compared with those specified in the contract Boat Harbour Beach—4 of 4 contract milestones completed

Sisters Beach—10 of 11 contract milestones completed
Coastcare (Administered item—part of the Natural Heritage Trust)
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Structural Adjustment Package (Administered item)
The service level agreements with the Queensland Rural Adjustment Authority and the Department of Transport and Regional Services achieve the government’s objectives in providing assistance to stakeholders affected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Representative Areas Programme The Queensland Rural Adjustment Authority completed the business exit (licence buy-out) component of the package in December 2004. 115 licences and 4 coral reef fin fish symbols from other licences were purchased for a total of $32.2 million. The licence buy-out met the effort reduction targets for the four seafood fisheries that were part of the buy-out process.

The second major part of the package is business restructuring assistance, to assist business to adapt to the impact of the rezoning. 334 fishery and fishery-related businesses received assistance under this component of the package during 2004–05, with total assistance of $7.6 million. The Department of Transport and Regional Services commenced discussions with Area Consultative Committees in the region in order to develop projects under this component of the package.
2 service level agreements are in place by early 2004–05 Queensland Rural Adjustment Authority agreement signed on 16 September 2004

Department of Transport and Regional Services agreement signed on 21 April 2005
Statutory administration
Extent to which statutory timeframes are met under legislation High - all timeframes met
Number of referrals considered under legislation See report on the operation of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 in the second volume of this set of annual reports
Extent to which stakeholders meet legislative requirements High
International
Percentage of written pre-meeting objectives at international meetings achieved 100%
Extent to which Australia’s strategic objectives are achieved through international forums High - great white shark successfully listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

Australia ’s Asia–Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) introduced marine pests project endorsed by APEC leaders

Australian priority issues (including high seas biodiversity conservation; combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing; promoting sustainable fishing; addressing marine debris) addressed and advanced at United Nations forums
Stakeholder awareness
Information and education products distributed to stakeholders (measured by web site hits, information material distributed, etc) Marine species identification flipcards developed and distributed

Visitor brochures for 2 marine protected areas updated and distributed

Average of 39 835 user sessions per month to the coasts-related part of the department’s web site
Research, analysis and evaluation
Number of research reports, articles and papers prepared and publicly released 7 reports on marine protected areas

The Economic Contribution of Australia’s Marine Industries report released

National Marine Atlas of non-fisheries uses published
Australia ’s Oceans Policy
Advice to ministers will be comprehensive, timely and canvass all relevant stakeholders Advice to ministers based on comprehensive consultation processes
Valued and timely papers prepared for the National Oceans Ministerial Board, Oceans Board of Management, Oceans Policy Science Advisory Group and National Oceans Advisory Group meetings and input to other relevant policy issues National Oceans Ministerial Board dissolved

Papers provided to other bodies within set timeframes
Timely, valued contributions to relevant international meetings and processes All input requested delivered on time

Engagement with international meetings carried out professionally and in line with national interest priorities
Mechanisms for integrated oceans management in the Commonwealth are further developed and progress made on appropriate intergovernmental mechanisms

Commonwealth guidelines for integrated oceans management		 Guidelines for Applying an Ecosystem Approach in the Oceans developed for whole-of-government consideration
Substantial progress is made towards an agreement on principles and elements for national integrated oceans management appropriate intergovernmental mechanisms Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council agreed to use Framework for a National Approach to Integrated Oceans Management, which includes principles and governance arrangements
Ministerial advice - number of briefs, ministerials, questions on notice, committees 45 briefs, 146 ministerials, 10 questions on notice
Coordination requests and input to other policy issues 166
Acceptance of Australia’s international policy on oceans management Principles of Australia’s Oceans Policy (including ecosystem-based management; integrated oceans management; stakeholder consultation) broadly accepted in international forums

Australian Asia–Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) project on integrated oceans management completed and endorsed

Phase 1 of APEC project on economic valuation of the marine environment completed
Oceans Portal project completed and a marine registry linked to national data providers Planning completed, building started - core components to be completed by December 2005
Number of forums for stakeholder participation 3 meetings of National Oceans Advisory Group
3 meetings of Northern Planning Advisory Committee
Number of meetings of specialist working groups 6 meetings of Bioregionalisation Working Group
Number of meetings of
National Oceans Ministerial Board

Oceans Board of Management

Oceans Policy Science Advisory Group

National Oceans Advisory Group
0 (board dissolved in 2004–05)

2

4

3
Regional marine plans
Area of Australia’s exclusive economic zone covered by regional marine planning processes More than 4 million out of the 14 million square kilometres in Australia’s exclusive economic zone is covered by regional marine planning processes in the south-east, north and south-west
Northern Regional Marine Plan
Agreement by governments to the northern planning process, scoping report and related recommendations Scoping report released in September 2004
Mechanisms for integrated marine planning in the Torres Strait are agreed by governments Regional marine planning in Torres Strait is being undertaken in the context of, and complementary to, broader regional natural resource management planning in Torres Strait. These arrangements were developed with the active engagement of Queensland Government agencies. Marine planning is focused on natural resource management governance arrangements under the Torres Strait Treaty, conservation assessments, risk assessments associated with the Moratorium on Seabed Drilling and Mining and links between islanders, fisheries management and economic development programmes.
Scoping agreement for the northern marine planning process and the number of assessment streams arising from the process Scoping process completed and assessment reports produced (Living on Saltwater Country report series, Key Species report, Northern Fisheries Atlas)
South-west Regional Marine Plan
Agreement by governments to a collaborative approach to a planning process for the south-west marine area Draft memorandum of understanding being considered
Memorandum of understanding with South Australian and Western Australian governments on the south-western regional marine planning process Negotiations commenced - details to be finalised by early 2006
Snapshot of the south-west region Assessments commenced
South-east Regional Marine Plan
Initial implementation of key South-east Regional Marine Plan actions are progressed to the satisfaction of the National Oceans Ministerial Board Progress on implementing actions in the plan was reported to the Oceans Board of Management, following dissolution of the ministerial board. The actions reported on included mapping of the seafloor in the south-east, facilitation of a national Marine Discovery Centre network, improved understanding of economic issues, regional tourism initiatives, development of the Oceans Portal and development of sea country plans.
Completion of the priority action items in the South-east Regional Marine Plan Kooyang Sea Country Plan released on 29 April 2005
Marine science
National marine spatial data infrastructure and marine research are effectively supporting regional marine planning processes Oceans Portal currently under development - due for completion in December 2005

Research carried out in the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Arafura Sea to support the northern marine planning process

Information on existing spatial management measures collected to support regional marine planning
Amount of marine scientific, economic and social research conducted and data collected and managed 6 reports prepared to support National Marine Bioregionalisation - reports cover sediments, oceanography, sponges, fish, pelagic regionalisation and benthic bioregionalisations

Research on Economic Contribution of Australia’s Marine Industries 1995–96 to 2002–03 published

Research contracts in progress for the Great Barrier Reef seabed biodiversity project, the analysis of reports from the NORFANZ cruise, and research voyages in Arafura Sea and Gulf of Carpentaria
Completion of the National Marine Bioregionalisation Report and the National Marine Atlas National Marine Bioregionalisation completed and due to be launched in second half of 2005

National Marine Atlas of non-fisheries uses launched in July 2004 and Northern Fisheries Atlas to be launched in second half of 2005
Regional marine planning coordination
Valued and timely papers are prepared for the regional planning and advisory groups Secretariat services provided to Northern Planning Advisory Committee - committee’s advice was provided on time and within budget
Number of forums and meetings to facilitate stakeholder participation 3 meetings of Northern Planning Advisory Committee
Number of meetings of specialist working groups 1 meeting of South-west Marine Region Government Forum

Other annual reports - more detailed results

Annual report on the operation of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 included in the second volume of this set of annual reports

Annual report of the Director of National Parks at www.deh.gov.au/about/annual-report

Annual report of the Natural Heritage Trust at www.nht.gov.au/publications. The department’s performance in administering the Natural Heritage Trust is reported under Administration of the Natural Heritage Trust.

Legislation

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
Natural Heritage Trust of Australia Act 1997

Resources
Element of pricing Budget prices¹
$’000		 Actual expenses
$’000
Departmental outputs
Sub-output:
Coasts, oceans, estuaries and coastal wetlands
Regional marine planning²
Oceans Policy²		 10 181
4 877
1 219		 12 253
6 642
585
Total (= Output 1.3: Coasts and oceans) 16 277 19 480
Administered items
Natural Heritage Trust - Coastcare
Great Barrier Reef - Representative Areas Programme
Development of Sewerage Scheme for Boat Harbour and Sisters Beach, Tasmania		 40 300
49 125
1 000		 58 325
49 125
692
Total (Administered) 90 425 108 142
¹ Prices are the estimated full-year revenues for departmental outputs and full-year expenses for administered items that are shown in the 2004–05 portfolio additional estimates statements.
² The budget price estimates and actual expenses shown for these sub-outputs do not include the resources of the National Oceans Office from 1 July 2004 to 3 November 2004, when the office was a separate financial entity from the department. The financial statements show the resources of the National Oceans Office for the period 1 July 2004 to 3 November 2004.

See also: summary resource tables.

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