Australia's tropical seas are of global conservation significance. Our northern waters are some of the last healthy tropical marine environments left in a world where sealife and coral reefs are in severe decline, yet less than one percent of these waters in Western Australia and the Northern Territory are protected.

Right now the Government’s election commitment to establish a network of marine sanctuaries provides you with the chance to change this and leave an iconic legacy for future generations.

However, your proposed North and North West marine park plans do not meet the benchmarks for marine sanctuary protection set by the science community for establishing a representative marine sanctuary network.

In the North West Region protection is good only in the deep oceans, and needs to be increased on continental shelf areas where the threats to marine life are greatest. It is clear that areas used by the oil and gas industry have been avoided for marine sanctuaries, regardless of their environmental value.

Specific places requiring more protection include:

• The big bank lobster breeding grounds offshore near to Kalbarri.
• The whale feeding canyons offshore from the Shark Bay world heritage area.
• The productive and diverse waters offshore from Ningaloo where oil drilling is encroaching on the world heritage listed reef and marine park.
• Offshore from Eighty Mile Beach, one of the major undisturbed breeding grounds for flatback turtles after Barrow Island was lost to the Gorgon Gas project.
• Surrounding the coral atolls at the Rowley Shoals.

We support the large marine sanctuary proposed offshore from the Kimberley whale nursery, but also call on you to create additional sanctuary areas in this remote, unique and pristine environment.

In the North region the proposed level of protection at 3% is woefully inadequate with threats to the region including seabed mining increasing.  Iconic areas offshore from both WA and the Northern Territory, like the Bonaparte Basin, Central Gulf/Cape York, Limmen Bight, Coburg Pinnacles, Arafura Canyons and Fog Bay, need marine sanctuary protection.

Minister, when you finalise the boundaries of these new marine protected areas there need to be far more marine sanctuaries, particularly in shallower shelf areas. The sanctuaries also need to be large enough to ensure effective, long term protection for marine life and fish stocks. 

Please count my voice amongst those calling for a better outcome and supporting the creation of a network of large marine sanctuaries that will conserve our spectacular marine ecosystems for future generations, replenish fish stocks and provide new opportunities for coastal economies through tourism.

Please count this as my submission to the Federal Government's draft North and North West Marine Region Bioregional Plans.