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Part C - Agency Budget Statements (continued)
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (continued)

Section 2 - Outcomes and Outputs Information

• Overview
• Sub-outcome and Output Groups
• Output Cost Attribution
• Relationship between Sub-outcome and Contributing Outputs
• Changes to Outcomes and Outputs
• Measures Affecting the Sub-outcome
• Total Resources for the Sub-outcome
• Contribution of Outputs
• Performance Information for the Sub-outcome
• Evaluations

OVERVIEW

The following section provides details of the budget implications for the GBRMPA. Specifically it provides in the following order:

• a diagrammatic representation of the output groups and individual outputs;
• a description for the planned Sub-outcome;
• Table 2.1 providing details of the financial resources for the planned Sub outcome;
• a description of how the departmental outputs comprising the planned Sub outcome contribute to that outcome;
• Table 2.2 which provides performance information for each departmental output; and
• general information on performance and evaluation.
  

The structure above and details below shows the relationship between the Government's planned outcome and contributing outputs for the GBRMPA, presented here as output groups. Financial details for this Sub-outcome by outputs and output groups appear in Table 2.1 while non-financial information for the Sub-outcome appears in Table 2.2

Output Cost Attribution

Costs for Corporate Management and Services have been allocated to the output groups based on staffing levels. Operational overheads for Reef HQ are allocated to Output 1.7 Reef Education and Communication.

Relationship Between Sub-outcome and Contributing Output

The following chart provides a diagrammatic representation of the output groups and individual outputs feeding into those groups, contributing to Outcome 1 (Environment).

CHANGES TO OUTCOME AND OUTPUTS

The grouping of outputs is primarily consistent with the 2003-2004 Budget. Since the 2003-04 Budget, shipping outputs that were previously part of the Water Quality and Coastal Development Output Group have been included under Output 1.5 Park Management.

The GBRMPA is the Commonwealth Statutory Authority responsible for the care and development of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Protection of the environment, especially those aspects that are matters of national environmental significance is a major aim of the Government.

Conservation of the Great Barrier Reef is the GBRMPA's primary obligation. The GBRMPA's challenge is to ensure that valuable tourist and commercial fishing industries worth respectively, approximately $4.3 billion per annum and $130 million per annum and other important uses such as adjacent land use, shipping, recreational activities and research activities continue to operate on an ecologically sustainable basis.

MEASURES AFFECTING THE SUB-OUTCOME

The Government will provide total funding of $23.4 million over three years for activities arising from the implementation of the Representative Areas Programme from 1 July 2004. The Representative Areas Programme will increase the size of ‘no take' fishing areas from less than 5 percent to 33 percent of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park to better protect the Reef and its biodiversity. More than half the cost of this measure ($13.2 million over three years) is being fully absorbed from within the existing resources of the Natural Heritage Trust.

A structural adjustment package will be provided to assist eligible commercial fishers and others adversely affected by the implementation of the Representative Areas Programme. This will involve funding of $8.6 million in 2004-05 and $1.6 million in 2005 06. Eligibility criteria are being developed in consultation with the fishing industry and communities.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority will undertake additional enforcement and compliance activities to implement the Representative Areas Programme at a cost of $2.9 million in 2004-05, $2.9 million in 2005 06 and $3.0 million in 2006 07. The cost of this element is being fully absorbed within the existing resources of the Natural Heritage Trust.

The Government will also provide funding of $2.2 million in 2004-05, $1.9 million in 2005 06 and $0.3 million in 2006 07 to educate and inform the public, tourists and industry about the new Representatives Area Programme. The cost of this element is being fully absorbed within the existing resources of the Natural Heritage Trust.

The Government will provide funding of $2.0 million per annum for three years from 2004-05 to the GBRMPA for the implementation of a water quality monitoring programme under the Great Barrier Reef Water Quality Protection Plan. The Plan addresses declining water quality in waterways entering the Reef.

The cost of this measure is being fully absorbed within the existing resourcing of the Natural Heritage Trust.

The Government will provide funding of $0.3 million per annum for three years from 2004-05 for a programme to control the Crown of Thorns Starfish in the Great Barrier Reef. This measure matches the commitments of tourism operators and the Queensland Government to defend high value tourist sites from further Crown of Thorns Starfish outbreaks.

The cost of this measure is being fully absorbed within the existing resourcing of the Natural Heritage Trust.

TOTAL RESOURCES FOR THE SUB-OUTCOME

Table 2.1 provides details of the financial resources for the GBRMPA. It shows the expenses for each output within the output group, revenue from government appropriation, revenue from other sources and the total price of outputs. The average staffing level for this Sub-outcome also appears at the end of the table.

CONTRIBUTION OF OUTPUTS

Seven output groups contribute to the sub-outcome of protection, wise use, understanding and enjoyment of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park:

• Conservation, Biodiversity and World Heritage - This output group will contribute by protecting the natural and cultural values of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and ensuring the obligations of the World Heritage Area Convention will be met. A focus will be the conservation of protected species including through the management of traditional use of marine resources. A new Zoning Plan will be implemented that provides an adequate network of no-take areas that represents examples of all habitat types and considers social, economic and cultural information.
• Water Quality/Coastal Development - This output group will contribute by reducing the risk of degradation to the Great Barrier Reef arising from impacts of coastal development, other adjacent land use and associated water pollution. The GBRMPA will work with other Australian Government departments, Queensland and local government, Industry and Regional Groups to encourage management arrangements to reduce loads of sediments, nutrients and other land-sourced run-off that impact on the health of the adjacent marine areas. This will be in accordance with the objectives of the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan and the provisions and actions identified in the Memorandum of Understanding between the Australian and Queensland Governments of August 2002 to protect the Great Barrier Reef from land-sourced pollutants. Long term monitoring and reporting programmes will be established to follow changes in the state of water quality and health of the Reef.
• Fisheries - This output group will contribute by ensuring progress towards ecologically sustainable fisheries in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. It will be achieved in collaboration with Queensland fisheries management agencies. The GBRMPA is working to improve current fisheries management arrangements by seeking the adoption of a whole of ecosystem approach to address the sustainability of target species, non-target species and the ecosystems on which they depend.
• Tourism and Recreation - This output group will contribute by ensuring that sustainable, diverse and high quality tourism and recreation opportunities continue to be provided in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. It will be achieved through cooperation and partnerships with the tourism industry and other stakeholders. Within the Great Barrier Reef catchment, tourism contributes an estimated $4.3 billion dollars per year.
• Park Management - This output group will contribute by providing permitting arrangements to manage the environmental impacts of specific activities and through development of site plans or plans of management for high priority areas.

  It will also provide field operations management of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park through shared funding arrangements with the Queensland Government. In addition to the jointly funded programme, Commonwealth agencies including Coastwatch, Customs Marine, Federal Police, the Department of Public Prosecutions and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority make very significant contributions to the field operations management programme. Management activities undertaken include surveillance, enforcement, public contact, natural resource management, provision of visitor facilities, routine monitoring and incident response.

• Information for Park Management - This output group will contribute by delivering the best available scientific and technical information for policy development and decision making. The GBRMPA is a major partner in the Cooperative Research Centre for the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.
• Reef Education and Communication - This output group will contribute by providing effective communication and education programmes about the Great Barrier Reef and a readily accessible on shore reef environment and interpretive programme (Reef HQ). Community support for conservation and sustainable use of the Great Barrier Reef can be achieved through education and awareness of critical issues. Reef HQ is the Reef Education Centre for the GBRMPA.

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION FOR THE SUB-OUTCOME

The following Table 2.2 lists the performance information that the GBRMPA will use to assess the level of its achievement of the planned Sub outcome during 2004-05. It is comprised of two parts:

(A) overall achievement - planned performance information for the outcome overall;

(B) performance information for Departmental Outputs - quantitative, qualitative and price for each output.

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

The GBRMPA has a Strategic Work Programme which clearly sets out, at a more detailed level, Objectives, Strategies, Outputs and relevant performance indicators and targets. The GBRMPA will use the Strategic Work Programme to assess and report on the level of achievement of its overall Sub-outcome. Information shown in Table 2.2 is both quantitative and qualitative. Targets for effectiveness have been included where they are applicable and appropriate for performance information for the outcome of the GBRMPA's programmes.

Over a short time frame (one financial year) it is difficult to objectively assess the GBRMPA's effectiveness in protecting the Great Barrier Reef. Therefore, a number of performance measures are listed which indicate milestones in the progress towards achieving the GBRMPA's long term goal.

Achievement of planned performance will be reported in the GBRMPA's 2004-05 Annual Report.

EVALUATIONS

In 2001-02 new measure funding was provided for the management of aquaculture regulations and the community service obligations for Reef HQ Aquarium. These measures are due to be evaluated during 2004-05.

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