Bridget Archer (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that as an island nation, Australians have a deep affinity to our oceans and waterways and that the ocean shapes our climate and weather, provides us with natural resources, and is essential to our wellbeing;

(2) acknowledges that when our ocean is protected and sustainably managed, it has the potential to deliver significant economic and social benefits and that by 2025, ocean industries are projected to contribute around $100 billion each year to our economy;

(3) further notes that the 2020-21 Budget contained a new Oceans Package made up of:

(a) $14.8 million to tackle the marine impacts of ghost nets and plastic litter;

(b) $28.3 million to enhance management of Australian marine parks;

(c) $20 million through the Relief and Recovery Fund to re-establish native oyster reefs at 11 sites across the country; and

(d) $4.2 million for international blue carbon and rainforest partnerships; and

(4) commends the Government for reaffirming Australia's status as a global leader on ocean management.

Growing up on an island state, part of a great island nation, I understand how important it is to ensure our oceans are protected and sustainably managed. I'm proud of our government's track record in protecting our oceans and marine system. In fact, former Prime Minister John Howard created the world's first oceans policy, in 1998, and it was a coalition government that established one of the world's largest representative networks of protected marine parks. Just last year, our budget included an oceans package of $67.4 million being invested to protect our oceans and marine ecosystem is. This includes $14.8 million to tackle the marine impacts of ghost nets and plastic litter throughout the waters of northern Australia. Additionally with a marine park network of 3.3 million square kilometres, larger than the nation of Argentina, $28 million will be spent to enhance the management of our marine parks. And, building on Australia's international leadership in this space, $4.2 million will be invested for international blue carbon and rainforest partnerships that protect coastal and rainforest ecosystem.

We are also committed to not only preserving and protecting our marine ecosystem but also achieving a sustainable ocean economy. When our ocean is protected and sustainably managed it has the potential to deliver significant economic and social benefits. As we look to recover from COVID-19, a healthy and sustainably managed ocean can bring economic relief and make our regional communities stronger. There is no better example of this than the Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre located in Northern Tasmania. The Blue Economy CRC is a 10-year research project with $329 million in funding, including $70 million in federal government funding. It is led by the University of Tasmania, bringing together expertise in seafood, renewable energy and offshore engineering to transform our country's blue economy.

The CRC builds on the strength of Tasmania and our world-class university, combined with collaboration between 45 national and international partners—including the University of Cork in Ireland, the National University of Singapore, Climate-KIC Australia, Tassal, ACS Australia and the CSIRO—to bring together blue-sky thinking and practical research to address the critical question of how can we sustainably feed and power ourselves from the world's oceans.

Over the project term, the CRC will support a research community of around 50 PhD students and 50 postdoctoral research fellows throughout the state. The first five years of the program, currently underway, is focusing on the development and testing of new offshore aquaculture and renewable energy technologies, which will then be brought together on a single platform to demonstrate the economic and environmental benefits of co-location. Over 17 projects have been completed so far, with a further nine currently underway.

It's important to note that the ocean supports almost 400,000 jobs in Australia and by 2025 we expect ocean industries to contribute $100 billion to our national life every single year. When we protect our ocean, we protect both our environment and our economic growth. That's why last night's budget included an additional $100 million for the Oceans Leadership Package, which will build on our strong position as leaders and custodians of a great marine nation. This significant investment includes $39.9 million to go towards reinforcing Australia's position as a world leader in marine park management, $11.6 million to be delivered over two years to incorporate sea country in Indigenous protected areas in nine locations to provide Indigenous communities with real economic and employment opportunities as well as contribute to the conservation of environmental and cultural values within these marine areas and $30.6 million of investment in practical action to restore and account for blue-carbon ecosystems. This will improve the health of coastal environments in Australia and around the region and export Australia's internationally recognised expertise in ocean accounting while boosting regional employment and enabling us to account for the value of these habitats as blue-carbon repositories. There is $18 million to protect marine species, improve fisheries' sustainability through reducing biocatch, and stimulate investment in our oceans.

It is our government that has led the way in protecting the ocean and our ocean based industries, and we can be proud of our established record as a global leader on ocean management.

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