Outcome:	1. Environment			Question No: 37
Division/Agency:	Parks Australia Division
Topic: 	National Reserve System program funding

Hansard Page ECITA:	116

Senator Wong  asked:

What was allocated in 2002/03 for the 2003/04 year and what in 2003/04 was confirmed for that budget year?

Answer/s:

The National Reserve System program original allocation for 2003/04 was $3.155 million for land acquisitions/covenants and $2.5 million for Indigenous Protected Areas. Expenditure for 2003/04 was $3.952 million for land acquisitions/covenants and $2.484 million for Indigenous Protected Areas.

Outcome:	1. Environment			Question No: 38
Division/Agency:	Parks Australia 
Topic: 	National Reserve System program funding 

Hansard Page ECITA:	117

Senator Wong  asked:

Of the $76 million over five years, how much has been spent in how many years?

Answer/s:

Under the Natural Heritage Trust expenditure on the National Reserve System program has been:
1996/97	$0.4 million
1997/98	$2.9 million
1998/99	$11.2 million
1999/00	$11.4 million
2000/01	$13.7 million
2001/02	$23.6 million
2002/03	$13.5 million
Total		$76.7 million.

Expenditure for the National Reserve System program for 2003/04, including the Indigenous Protected Areas component, was $6.436 million.

Outcome:	1. Environment			Question No: 39
Division/Agency:	Parks Australia Division
Topic: 	Great Australian Bight Marine Park

Hansard Page ECITA:	119

Senator Wong asked: How many objectives or planned outcomes envisaged in the management plan of the GABMP have been achieved in the life of the first management plan?

Answer/s:

The management plan has been in place for four years. Over this time all the commitments in the first management plan have been met, except:

(a)	Those made redundant by the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (which commenced after the management plan), that is,

•	An agreement with industry to ensure the Department of the Environment and Heritage is consulted about mining operations near the Park. Under the Act these proposals are referred to the Department.

•	Extension of a ‘fly neighbourly agreement’ to protect whales near the Head of Bight. The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Regulations 2000 protect whales from aircraft noise. 

(b)	A proposed agreement with the Australian Fisheries Management Authority. The Department has invited the Authority to participate in a Steering Committee for the Park and is still exploring ways to cooperate with the Authority.

Management has focussed on improving compliance and investigating the least understood aspect of the Park’s natural values: the seabed environment.

The six ‘strategic objectives’ in the first management plan are long-term aims expressed in broad terms. Achievements to date against each strategic objective are summarised below. 

(1)	‘To manage the area as part of a comprehensive, adequate and representative system of marine protected areas to contribute to the long term ecological viability of marine and estuarine ecosystems’. The Park is part of the National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas and helps to maintain the ecological viability of the Great Australian Bight – see (3) to (5) below.

(2)	‘To protect biodiversity’. The Park protects biodiversity, especially the seabed environment and habitat for marine mammals – see (3) to (5) below. In addition, the Australian Government assesses commercial fisheries management to ensure that biodiversity is protected.

(3)	‘To protect the southern right whale during yearly aggregation in the waters of the Bight, and to protect its habitat on a year-round basis’. Each year part of the Park called the ‘Marine Mammal Protection Zone’ is closed when southern right whales are present. This closure is regularly patrolled. Two fishermen who breached the closure were penalised, the first such actions under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The Department of the Environment and Heritage has helped the South Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service develop a regional capacity to rescue entangled marine mammals. See also answer to Question 41.

(4)	‘To protect the Australian sea lion and its habitat’. See answer to Question 42.

(5)	‘To preserve a representative sample of benthic flora and fauna and sediments’. The Park minimises the impacts of activities that could affect the seabed life (benthos) in the Great Australian Bight. Bottom (demersal) trawl fishing is not allowed in the Park. Initial research shows that the Park’s ‘Benthic Protection Zone’ is well sited to represent the benthic ecosystems of the Bight and has more species than adjacent areas – see reports provided in answer to Question 40.

(6)	‘To allow the multiple use of the Great Australian Bight Marine Park’s resources according to the principles of Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD), subject to the use of these resources being consistent with the other strategic objectives’. The Park is in an area of Australia’s coastal seas where there is little shipping or fishing. It is a ‘managed resource area’ managed consistently with the Australian IUCN reserve management principles set out in Schedule 8 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Regulations 2000. The Park restricts activities that could disturb the seabed or marine mammals in order to minimise impacts while allowing activities that contribute to regional and national development. This is in addition to other laws that protect marine ecosystems from the impacts of commercial fisheries and offshore mining operations.

Since the first management plan was made the Director of National Parks has developed a set of Key Result Areas against which the future performance of the Park will be assessed. The Annual Reports of the Director of National Parks contain other performance assessment information.

Outcome:	1. Environment			Question No: 40
Division/Agency:	Parks Australia Division
Topic: 	Great Australian Bight Marine Park

Hansard Page ECITA:	119

Senator Wong asked: Can you provide a copy of or the findings of that survey?

Answer/s:

Printed copies are provided with this response.

Outcome:	1. Environment			Question No: 41
Division/Agency:	Parks Australia Division
Topic: 	Great Australian Bight Marine Park

Hansard Page ECITA:	119

Senator Wong asked: 

Have you done any research to document the effectiveness of the park in protecting the southern right whale in its yearly migration or in protecting its critical habitat areas all year round?

Answer/s:

Research into the population and habitat of the southern right whale in the Great Australian Bight can help to assess whether the restrictions on activities in the Commonwealth waters of the Park are actually helping to protect the whale aggregation, which occurs at the Head of Bight, mainly in the State waters of the Park. An ongoing program of relevant research is underway at the Head of the Bight. The Australian Government Department of the Environment and Heritage administers Natural Heritage  Trust funding for this research as part of general research into the population ecology of the southern right whale.

In summary the southern right whale population overall continues to increase at around 8% per annum averaged over the three year breeding cycle. The population visiting the Head of Bight may be increasing at a slightly higher rate, with the numbers visiting in 2003 representing an increase of 9.5% over the numbers in 2000 (the comparison with 2000 reflects the three year breeding cycle). Printed copies of recent reports are provided with this response.

Outcome:	1. Environment			Question No: 42
Division/Agency:	Parks Australia Division
Topic: 	Great Australian Bight Marine Park

Hansard Page ECITA:	120

Senator Wong asked:

Could you provide me with information about whether any actions have been taken to protect the sea lion and its habitat and, if so, what was the cost.

Answer/s:

During financial year 2003-04 the Australian Government provided approximately $3,600 (not including GST) to the South Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service to co-fund actions aimed at protecting the Australian sea lion and its habitat in the Park. The actions included facilitating CSIRO sea lion counts, counting sea lions during surveillance operations, purchasing a spotter scope, providing training in sea lion disentanglement, and meeting fishing industry representatives to discuss threats to sea lions.

During financial year 2003-04 the Australian Government also provided approximately $243,000 (not including GST) for co-funded and directly funded actions primarily aimed at protecting the southern right whale that also contributed to protecting the Australian sea lion and its habitat in the Park. The actions included removing entangling materials at the Head of Bight and surveillance of the Marine Mammal Protection Zone.

Outcome:	1. Environment			Question No: 43
Division/Agency:	Parks Australia Division
Topic: 	Great Australian Bight Marine Park

Hansard Page ECITA:	121

Senator Wong asked: Did the review that I referred to find that the zone should not be opened up to petroleum?

Answer/s:

An independent review of the potential sensitivities of marine mammals to mining operations in the Marine Mammal Protection Zone was conducted during financial year 2002-03. Among other things the report of this review concluded:

“Despite a significant number of publications on this topic, it was the general conclusion of the authors that there is still insufficient definitive data to determine, with any degree of certainty, what is likely to occur should petroleum operations be allowed in the Marine Mammal Protection Zone under the next management plan. In the context of the importance of the area for the recovery and conservation of the Australian sea lion and the southern right whale, application of the precautionary principle, as defined in the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), would support the continuation of the current ban on such activities until significantly more information is available demonstrating that these activities would not significantly impact upon southern right whales in this critical aggregation habitat and Australian sea lions in the coastal area.”

The report is available on the website of the Department of the Environment and Heritage at http://www.deh.gov.au/coasts/mpa/gab/sensitivity/index.html.

,
Outcome:	1. Environment			Question No: 44
Division/Agency:	Parks Australia 
Topic: 	National Reserve System program funding 

Hansard Page ECITA:	122

Senator Wong  asked:

So in 2001/02 I am suggesting was $23.6 million. You think that might be about right?
And in 2002/03 I am suggesting $13.5 million.
And for this year, $4 million.
So there has been a significant trend downwards in the funding over the last three years?
Are you able to take on notice and confirm the figures that I have just gone through?

Answer/s:

Expenditure for the land acquisitions, conservation covenants, Indigenous Protected Areas and bioregional planning under the National Reserve System program for 2001/02 and 2002/03 as indicated by the Senator is correct. Expenditure for 2003/04 was $6.436 million consisting of $3.952 million for land acquisitions/covenants and $2.484 million for Indigenous Protected Areas.