	Document Index 1999-2000 Ministerial Statements Investing in our Natural and Cultural Heritage Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Coasts and Oceans

Key Points:

Australia's Oceans Policy, announced in December 1998 is the first comprehensive plan to protect and manage Australia's oceans. Initial funding of $30 million over three years has been allocated to implement the policy, with a further $20 million allocated subject to the sale of the next tranche of Telstra. Australia's Oceans Policy is broadly based but new initiatives focus in particular on Regional Marine Planning at the large ecosystem scale for the whole of Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) with actions directed to ensuring sound decisions on resource use in the EEZ.
An additional $3.4 million from 1999-2000 to 2001-02 will be provided for improved surveillance and enforcement within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
Some $28.8 million will be provided in 1999-2000 for Coasts and Clean Seas activities. These include the Clean Seas Programme, Introduced Marine Pest Programme, Coastal Monitoring Programme, Fisheries Action Programme and the Marine Species Protection Programme.
New funding of $4 million a year from 1999-2000 to 2002-03 will be provided to deter illegal fishing in Australia's sub-Antarctic waters.
On 16 December 1998 a notice of intent was issued to declare around 370 square kilometres of the Tasmanian Seamounts as a marine reserve. The seamounts host a rich biodiversity. If declared, this temperate water reserve will be an important contribution to Australia's National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas.
Over 400 community groups are being supported yearly by Coastcare funding to help protect and repair coastal, marine and estuarine environments.
The Environment and Heritage Legislation Amendment Bill 1999 was introduced to Parliament on 31 March 1999 to give effect to Australia's commitments under the Protocol to the London Convention.
At the seventh session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (in April 1999) Australia promoted a suite of initiatives aimed to accelerate the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity on a global scale. These initiatives relate to marine pollution, coral reefs, marine protected areas, conservation of biological diversity of the high seas and improving international cooperation and coordination on ocean issues.

Table 9.1: Coasts and Oceans--New Measures, Programme and Tax Expenditure Estimates

Description	1998-99 $m	1999-00 $m	2000-01 $m	2001-02 $m	2002-03 $m
NEW MEASURES
Oceans Policy implementation (a)	-	10.0	10.0	10.0	-
Deterring illegal fishing in Australia's sub-Antarctic waters	-	4.0	4.0	4.0	4.0
Improved Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Surveillance	-	1.0	1.2	1.2	-
Funding for the GBRMPA for the Independent Monitor for the Port Hinchinbrook project	-	0.2	-	-	-
PROGRAMME AND TAX EXPENDITURE ESTIMATES
Protection and management of our coasts and oceans
Australia's Oceans Policy (a)	-	14.2	17.6	18.7	-
Coasts and Clean Seas (b)
Clean Seas	15.9	13.2	13.3	10.9	0.1
Coastcare	5.7	5.4	5.3	6.2	0.1
Marine Species Protection	2.8	2.4	3.1	2.0	0.1
Capacity Building	1.1	0.6	0.9	1.2	0.1
Coastal and Marine Planning	2.3	0.8	1.0	1.3	0.1
Coastal Monitoring	1.4	0.7	0.6	0.9	0.1
Introduced Marine Pests	1.3	0.9	0.9	2.2	0.1
Marine Protected Areas	1.0	1.4	1.5	0.4	-
Marine Waste Reception Facilities	0.6	0.8	1.1	-	-
Oceans Policy Development	2.5	-	-	-	-
Australian Coastal Atlas	1.1	0.4	0.4	0.4	-
Fisheries Action Programme--marine component (c)	1.4	2.3	1.5	1.3	-
Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service Ballast Water Programme (d)	0.3	0.3	0.4	0.4	na
National Oil Spill Atlas	0.4	1.0	na	na	na
AUSLIG	0.5	0.4	0.5	0.5	0.5
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (e)	12.5	15.3	15.6	15.8	14.8
Marine Environment Protection Measures
Regional and International Environmental Protection	na	na	na	na	na
London Convention--Dumping at Sea	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	na
Australian Maritime Safety Authority	3.7	3.7	3.7	3.7	3.7
Management of our Marine Resources
Sustainable Fisheries Management
Fisheries and Aquaculture subprogramme	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	-
Australian Fisheries Management Authority	12.4	10.3	10.3	10.3	10.3
Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3
Southern Shark Fishery Industry Development Programme	-	2.6	-	-	-
Deterring illegal fishing in Australia's sub-Antarctic waters	-	4.0	4.0	4.0	4.0
Australian Customs Service Coastwatch (f)	na	na	na	na	na
Coastal and Marine Research
CSIRO Marine Sector (total) (g)	22.1	22.0	na	na	na
Multi-use management of Exclusive Economic Zone	4.2	4.2	na	na	na
Marine living resources	6.8	6.7	na	na	na
Marine conservation management	2.6	2.6	na	na	na
Marine products and biotechnology	0.2	0.2	na	na	na
Estuarine and coastal waters	4.0	3.9	na	na	na
Oceanographic research vessel (h)	4.3	4.4	na	na	na
Resources sustainability	6.6	6.6	6.6	6.6	6.6
Ecosystem protection	2.9	3.2	3.2	3.2	3.2
Fisheries Resources Research Fund	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3
Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs) (total)	12.0	12.9	12.6	11.9	10.5
CRC for Antarctica and the Southern Ocean	3.2	3.0	2.0	2.0	1.0
CRC for the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area	2.2	2.4	2.9	2.6	-2.5
CRC for Aquaculture	2.4	2.4	0.4	-	-
CRC for Catchment Hydrology	2.0	2.2	2.6	2.6	2.6
CRC for Coastal Zone, Estuary and Waterway Management	-	0.9	2.3	2.3	2.3
CRC for Freshwater Ecology	2.2	2.0	2.4	2.4	2.1
Australian Institute of Marine Science	18.5	21.1	22.6	22.3	23.4
Capital Refurbishment--AIMS	2.0	3.0	3.6	3.0	-
ANSTO	0.4	0.6	na	na	na
Environmental Impacts of Petroleum Operat.	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1	-
Fisheries Research Development Corporation	11.4	12.4	12.5	12.5	12.5
Coastal and Marine Monitoring
AGSO Urban and Coastal Impacts	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.8
Antarctic Division Marine Programme(i)	na	na	na	na	na
Bureau of Meteorology	0.5	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4
Royal Australian Navy Hydrographic Service	na	na	na	na	na
Australian Oceanographic Data Service	0.8	0.8	0.8	na	na

New measures are expressed in outturn prices and other expenditure and revenue figures are expressed in 1999-2000 prices.
Programme and tax expenditure estimates include the effect of new measures.
- denotes nil; na denotes not available.

A New Measure of $30 million funding from the Consolidated Revenue Fund, 1999-2000 to 2000-02. A further $20 million has been allocated to the implementation of Australia's Oceans Policy subject to the sale of the next tranche of Telstra.
These figures include an allocation for Marine Group corporate overhead costs.
See Chapter 6 for the inland waters component of the programme.
Control of marine pests information appears under Coasts and Clean Seas Introduced Marine Pests Programme.
Accrual-based estimates after 1998-99.
It cannot be estimated what proportion of the Coastwatch budget is attributable to environmental purposes due to the range of activities undertaken by Coastwatch..
Funding for the Centre for Research on Introduced Marine Pests is included as part of the expenditure under Marine Conservation Management. A further $700,000 is expected on marine pest research under CSIRO's Biodiversity Sector.
This vessel has some non-CSIRO users, sometimes for non-environmental purposes.
See Chapter 10 for total expenditure.

Australia's marine and coastal environments are rich in natural and cultural resources and are a focus for much of Australia's economic, social, tourism, residential and recreational activity. The Commonwealth's expenditure, aimed at the protection, conservation and sustainable use of Australia's coastal and marine environments is set out in Table 9.1.