Presenter
We brought you last week on the morning's
program the news that the long promised review
of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act
would finally go ahead. Things are moving
pretty fast now though, submissions to the
review close at the end of September and we'll
give you some more details on how to get submissions
in shortly. Firstly though, Federal Environment
Minister Ian Campbell is in the north today,
he joins us in the studio. And you're here
for a birthday party, I believe, Minister?
Senator Campbell:
A very important birthday, David, it's the
30th anniversary of the Great Barrier Reef
Marine Park Authority and we'll be at Reef
HQ shortly and cutting a cake and thanking
all the staff and the volunteers. We'll have
also Senator Robert Hill, the former Environment
Minister, and David Kemp. I invited Prime
Minister's Whitlam and Fraser to come along
- both of them were very apologetic at not
being able to get here. But it's an incredibly
important historical landmark for Australia
and, quite frankly, coral reef protection
in the whole world because we lead the world
here in reef protection.
Presenter
A good time for people to look back on some
of the achievements of the 30 years, I guess?
Senator Campbell:
Yeah, I think we've achieved a lot. We are
world recognised as the greatest reef managers
on this little planet we inhabit called 'earth'.
That's a great credit to the leadership of
Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser when they
- in a bi-partisan way - achieved not only
the creation of the Authority - the Emerald
Agreement that Fraser signed with Bjelke-Peterson;
but also the establishment of the Authority
and the leadership of Graeme Kelleher, the
leadership of Virginia Chadwick, the team
at the Authority; the scientists - some of
the best reef scientists anywhere in the globe,
working up and down the reef;feeding into
things like the RAP Program - the biggest
protection of the reef in it's history. These
are great achievements but the reef's going
to be under more pressure in the next 30 years
than she was in the last 30 years so all of
that effort is probably going to have to be
re-doubled if we're going to futureproof the
reef.
Presenter
And we should mention as well, Minister, that
Reef HQ is closed to the public due to the
party this morning through until midday, I
believe it is, it will open again. So Reef
HQ is closed to the public through until midday
today. You might even be able to pick up some
birthday cake if you arrive just at midday.
Sixteen minutes past nine, we're chatting
with Federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell
this morning. Speaking of the Great Barrier
Reef Marine Park Authority, Minister, what
will this recently announced Marine Act review
mean for the Authority, which, as we mentioned,
has its headquarters just over the way here
in Townsville?
Senator Campbell:
We'll I'm very, very aware of the importance
of the Authority to Townsville, just as a
community; Peter Lindsay, the Federal Member
reminds me of this on a weekly basis. It's
clearly an important institution for Townsville,
it's important for the whole of Queensland,
important for Australia and, as I've said,
for the world. There will be more pressure
on the reef in the next 30 years. Australians
love their coast, they love living on the
coast; we've got the pressure on fisheries,
which aren't going to go away; we've got the
pressure of the nutrients coming into the
lagoon from human activity in the hinterland
- that needs to be addressed, we're doing
that through the Reef Water Quality Program;
there's going to be more and more people living
in the hinterland as the population expands,
so those pressures are going to build. So
we need to make sure that the successes that
the Authority has achieved, and the staff
that work to make that Authority such a world-leading
institution, have a governance framework,
an institutional framework that makes sure
that the Authority can continue to build on
its successes in the past. So that's what's
it's all about. It's also about engaging with
the community up and down the coast.We found
with the Representative Areas Program there
was a lot angst amongst recreational and commercial
fisherman, many of them felt like they hadn't
been closely enough involved - although I
defend the Authority in what I think was a
process that they worked so hard to get consultation,
so hard to engage the community - and I know
many people didn't like the outcomes but it
just shows we need to try harder and harder
and harder to engage those stakeholders, make
sure that they feel a part of it.so hard to
engage the community - and I know many people
didn't like the outcomes but it just shows
we need to try harder and harder and harder
to engage those stakeholders, make sure that
they feel a part of it.so hard to engage the
community - and I know many people didn't
like the outcomes but it just shows we need
to try harder and harder and harder to engage
those stakeholders, make sure that they feel
a part of it.
Presenter
How do you make sure that happens this time
then, those members of the fishing industry
you said that felt their input to the introduction
of the RAP green zones, you know they weren't
too happy with how that whole process went,
how can they believe the input will be heard
this time on this new review?
Senator Campbell:
Well they will be heard, we'll make sure of
that. The head of my department is heading
up the review, the Prime Minister has got
a representative from his department and the
Finance Minister from his department. It's
a quality review; I'll be keeping a close
watch on it. As you've announced we are asking
for public input, we will have meetings along
the coast as I have done myself as Environment
Minister. We need to not only make sure that
the review hears everyone's views but also
that in the future the sort of reforms that
I have put in place with Virginia Chadwick's
support with encouragement from people like
Peter Lindsay, where we've set up new offices
along the coast we have got a new ELMAC Local
Marine Advisory Committee established down
in Bundaberg. We are working very hard with
the Authority to make sure that they are truly
assessable. I make the point, however, though,
that the Authority has a really big responsibility,
massive responsibility, for future generations
and I would say that it would be almost impossible
to design a Representative Areas Program achieving
historic levels of protection and keeping
everyone happy. What we've sought to do is
bring in really high quality measures to protect
the reef and through the Structural Adjustment
Package - which is tens and tens and tens
of millions in excessive of $60 million already
- try to ensure that we treat fairly those
who have had an impact on their businesses
as a result. So that's how we strike the balance.
But I do make the point that it is going to
be very hard for a organisation like the Authority
to make everyone happy with this process.But
I do make the point that it is going to be
very hard for a organisation like the Authority
to make everyone happy with this process.But
I do make the point that it is going to be
very hard for a organisation like the Authority
to make everyone happy with this process.
Presenter
On commercial fishers and their rights, we
read this morning of a 'secret amnesty', as
it's being termed, letting recreational fishers
off if they were caught fishing in the green
zones, yet commercial fishers weren't given
apparently the same leniency. Now, this is
something that I would imagine just compounds
the damage in terms of government commercial
fisherman relations?
Senator Campbell:
Look I have worked very closely with the commercial
fisherman, I came up here as the first job
the Prime Minister gave me as Environment
Minister last year was to come here and try
to work our way through these issues, I've
got to say that the Seafood Industry Council
here in Queensland under John Olsen's leadership
has been incredibly good in their dealings
with the government; it's been a very stressful
period for their members, we have worked hard
to make that relationship robust, frank, open.
My view is this that the Authority is being
trying to implement the Representative Areas
Program and the policing of it in a sensible
and practical way.There is clearly a difference
between a recreational fisherman from say,
the southern states, up here in an aluminium
dinghy not understanding where the zones are,
not having a GPS not having that sort of thing.
I don't think anyone would want us to have
a patrol boat coming along and telling these
people, or fighting these people or taking
their boat away. If they're a southern tourist,
I think everyone wants to make sure that tourism
flourishes on the reef; the policing of it
is something that the Authority should do
using their best skills and their best intuition.up
here in an aluminium dinghy not understanding
where the zones are, not having a GPS not
having that sort of thing. I don't think anyone
would want us to have a patrol boat coming
along and telling these people, or fighting
these people or taking their boat away. If
they're a southern tourist, I think everyone
wants to make sure that tourism flourishes
on the reef; the policing of it is something
that the Authority should do using their best
skills and their best intuition.up here in
an aluminium dinghy not understanding where
the zones are, not having a GPS not having
that sort of thing. I don't think anyone would
want us to have a patrol boat coming along
and telling these people, or fighting these
people or taking their boat away. If they're
a southern tourist, I think everyone wants
to make sure that tourism flourishes on the
reef; the policing of it is something that
the Authority should do using their best skills
and their best intuition.or fighting these
people or taking their boat away. If they're
a southern tourist, I think everyone wants
to make sure that tourism flourishes on the
reef; the policing of it is something that
the Authority should do using their best skills
and their best intuition.or fighting these
people or taking their boat away. If they're
a southern tourist, I think everyone wants
to make sure that tourism flourishes on the
reef; the policing of it is something that
the Authority should do using their best skills
and their best intuition.
Presenter
So is the amnesty over then, I mean when will
the authorities get tougher on the recreational
fishers?
Senator Campbell:
Well, I think they're questions that you should
direct to the Authority but I don't interfere
in those decisions. I have been assured by
the Authority from the first day I became
Environment Minister that they would be applying
and policing the new zones in a sensible and
practical way. I think most of your listeners
would know that when you bring in a new speed
zone in a metropolitan area,or if you bring
in laws about using mobile phones in your
car - I know back in Perth when they brought
those mobile phones laws in the police had
a amnesty period for a few months where they
would give people warnings - that is really
what I understand it what the Authority has
been doing here.
Presenter
You're listening to 630 ABC North Queensland,
ABC Tropical North as well, it's 9:22am, we
are speaking at the moment with the Minister
for the Environment this morning, Ian Campbell,
who is in town, is here in North Queensland,
we're speaking about the Great Barrier Reef
Marine Park Act Review, that's happening at
the moment. Speaking about staff if we could,
Minister, here at the Great Barrier Reef Marine
Park Authority, what assurances can you give
Peter Lindsay over his concerns that some
jobs and some decisions about the management
of the reef may go south to Canberra? In fact,
I mean to be fair, Mr Lindsay wasn't even
really convinced when we spoke to him last
week that a review was needed at all.
Senator Campbell:
Peter will share my views that they pressures
on the reef, the need to protect it is going
to get stronger and harder as the years go
on, not any less. Just because we've done
the Representative Areas Program - a really
important program which will provide protection
- doesn't mean that the need to protect the
reef is going to get any less. There's going
to be more population pressure, more pressure
on fisheries, a life and death race on water
quality because we have got climate change
coming over the horizon, it is on us now,
it's a massive threat to the reef…I'm answering
your question, telling you why the…
Presenter
I just want to get there, that's all. I want
to get to the point.
Senator Campbell:
What I am saying is there is more pressure
on the reef; we're going to need more people
at Reef Headquarters in future than in the
past. So I am happy to give that assurance
that my own strong view is that the need for
science, the need for people to enforce our
protection, the need for people to design
the policies for the future, will get higher
up here in Townsville not lower. So that is
the assurance I can give.
Presenter
So we should feel confident, I guess, that
the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
will remain here, the jobs will remain here,
the management decisions will remain here;
just the processes will be improved as a result
of this review? Is this right?
Senator Campbell:
That's right, it was designed 30 years ago,
I think the authority has been very well run,
I think we have incredibly professional people
there, we are putting another $40 million
into the reef research project through the
commonwealth environment research facilities.
The Commonwealth is putting more and more
money into the reef because we recognised
it as an incredibly important environmental
asset that's coming under more and more threat.
So this is all about building the Authority,
making it stronger, recognising its world
leading role, recognising its importance and
making sure that it's a strong organisation
going forward.
Presenter
Minister Ian Campbell, I must let you get
to your birthday party. Thank you very much
for joining us in the studio today we appreciate
your time.
Senator Campbell:
Thanks, David, it was great to be here.
Presenter
That was Federal Environment Minister, Ian
Campbell, he is in the north today for the
30th birthday for the Great Barrier Reef Marine
Park Authority, also speaking to us about
the review the Federal Government has announced
for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act.
Presenter provided details for forwarding
submissions - email and mailing address.
