Outcome:	1. Environment			Question No: 26
Division/Agency:	Land Water and Coasts Division
Topic: 	Marine Protected Areas

Hansard Page ECITA:	69

Senator Wong asked:

Do you have any figures at all on the current industry [fishing] take in those areas [Murray and Zeehan]? Can you provide them? 

Answer/s:
•	Zeehan Candidate MPA: The Bureau of Rural Sciences estimates the Annual Gross Value of Production within this area to be around $474,000*. Of this, approximately $348,000 is attributed to rock lobster fishing.
•	Murray Candidate MPA: The Bureau of Rural Sciences estimates the Annual Gross Value of Production within this area to be around $850 000*. Of this, approximately $585,000 is attributed to rock lobster fishing. 

•	Please note that these figures are only estimates. The accuracy of the estimates is variable due to limits to the spatial precision of catch reporting.

Outcome:	1. Environment			Question No: 27
Division/Agency:	Land Water and Coasts Division
Topic: 	Marine Protected Areas

Hansard Page ECITA:	70

Senator Wong asked:

a)	What about oil and gas potential in the two proposed parks [Zeehan and Murray Candidate MPAs]?

b)	Is there any current exploratory activity in that area [Zeehan Candidate MPA]).

Answer/s:

a)	Potential for oil and gas in the Zeehan Candidate MPA is very high. Highly prospective reserves of gas in particular are known throughout the north-west Tasmania marine region. This prospectivity occurs both inside and outside the Zeehan candidate MPA. This candidate MPA was designed to minimise overlap with existing and prospective oil and gas leases. The Murray candidate MPA minimises impact on known oil and gas prospectivity. There are two small areas contained within this candidate MPA that are likely to be prospective.

b)	The Zeehan candidate MPA contains existing exploratory leases (involving at least four companies) that are highly prospective. There are no oil and gas exploration leases within the Murray candidate MPA and no immediate exploration is forecast.

Outcome:	1. Environment			Question No: 68
Division/Agency:	Natural Resource Management Policy Division
Topic: 	NRM Regional Plans

Hansard Page ECITA:	139

Senator Wong asked: 

Have you previously provided me with a copy of the accreditation criteria? I cannot recall seeing that in the questions on notice.

Answer/s:
Attached is a copy of the agreed criteria for accrediting catchment/regional natural resource management plans.

Outcome:	1. Environment			Question No: 69
Division/Agency:	Natural Resource Management Policy Division
Topic: 	NRM Regional Plans

Hansard Page ECITA:	139

Senator Wong asked: 

Mr Hooy, is the module you refer to an amendment to the accreditation criteria? Can you provide that, too?

Answer/s:
The guidance module entitled ‘Integrating the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan into Regional NRM Planning’ has not yet been finalised.