Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to talk about the marine environment.

Not long after the Abbott government came to power, they got rid of Australia's world-leading marine reserves and sanctuaries by getting rid of the management plans for those reserves, which effectively meant they were just lines on the map. They have subsequently been carrying out a review so they can make a decision supposedly by the end of this year about the future of what was clearly a world-leading system of marine protected areas—marine reserves and sanctuaries—around this country. In doing that, they were listening to the big end of town and some people in the recreational fishing sector and in the recreational fishing industry. What they did not do was listen to other stakeholders when they made that decision to get rid of our marine reserves.

So it is with pleasure tonight that I seek leave to table a statement on sanctuaries from the Australian dive industry. I understand that I have the agreement of the parties in the chamber to table that statement.