The current situation
Save Batemans Sanctuaries - the current situation
The Nature Coast Marine Group, along with associated conservation organisations, has been campaigning for the best part of a year to get full conservation status restored to six sanctuary zones in the Batemans Marine Park. We thank all who have supported the campaign so far.
This is a report on the current state of play.
Where did the problem start?
The roll back of sanctuaries was announced by Member for Bega Andrew Constance in a media release in February 2019 as part of his election campaign. It was then implemented in December 2019 by Agriculture Minister Marshall without any science or consultation, using a dodgy stratagem to get around the government's own legislative requirement for public consultation. Six sanctuary zones were opened up to various forms of recreational fishing. What was dodgy was that without the prescribed legal process, fishing in these areas actually remains against the law, but the Minister declared an ‘amnesty’, meaning that fishers wouldn’t be prosecuted. This decision was taken despite the fact that the government had been working, and still is, on a long-running general review of marine parks. It followed an earlier decision (started in 2013, finalised in 2018) to strip away protection for most of the ocean beaches and headlands within Batemans Marine Park sanctuary zones.
What has happened since then?
Nature Coast Marine Group and other organisations were active from the start in speaking out about this seriously regressive move. Initial action was limited by the fires and Covid-19. We were told in July last year that a formal two-month process of consultation was about to begin, and this threatened an imminent formalisation of the opening up of the sanctuaries. We immediately began campaigning in earnest. We and other organisations have written many times and have spoken to politicians and their advisers. This has been backed by a groundswell from the public. Hundreds of letters have been written, thousands of people have signed petitions and there has been considerable media, both traditional and social. Local print and radio coverage has been good and the issue has also come up in Sydney media and further afield. We had a well-publicised “paddle out” in Narooma on 21 November. This was a positive occasion that brought together people from all walks of life. More recently we launched a stunning video that has had over 55,000 views (and counting).
What have been the results of the campaign?
The original expectation was that a consultation process would conclude around October 2020, after which the Government would take a final decision on the sanctuaries. The focus of our campaign was to encourage people to let the government know that they didn’t want any weakening of protections.
However, what was expected has not happened. The reason for this is not clear, because the government is secretive and ambiguous in its messaging. But some things are evident:
The government has not proceeded with its declared intention to formalise the roll-back. But it has not rescinded its action either. This means that the sanctuaries continue to be degraded by recreational fishing and will continue to suffer until they are restored.
The Environment Minister has said the sanctuaries will be restored but has not taken further action.
The government has changed its original intention to prepare a marine park management plan specifically for the Batemans Marine Park (along with specific plans for the four other mainland marine parks). Instead it has decided to prepare a single 'network management plan' that will apply to all marine parks. This will NOT include proposals for zonings, i.e. the sizes and boundaries of sanctuary zones will be considered later.
It seems likely that further consideration of the six sanctuaries that have been rolled back will be done in the context of the broader review. It is not clear how this will happen, but it is possible that there will be no separate consultation on the six sanctuaries and that proposals will be made for the zoning of the Batemans Marine Park as a whole and the six sanctuaries will be part of that. So we could say that our campaign appears to have been effective in making the government aware that there is a strong body of opinion opposed to the sanctuaries roll-back and that this has stayed their hand. But we have to be realistic and accept that while we may have stopped the axe from falling when we feared it would, the situation is far from resolved.
What needs to happen over the coming months?
Our campaign to see the sanctuaries restored has to continue. Our campaign committee will take every opportunity to try to get a clear picture from the government as to what is going on. Outcomes we will be strongly advocating include that:
The six sanctuaries must be restored, preferably immediately, but at least as part of the general marine park review.
The general review should not result in any measures that weaken conservation protections.
Measures should be taken to strengthen conservation, by restoring full sanctuary zone protection to the Marine Park’s ocean beaches and headlands that was stripped away in 2018, and by establishing a sanctuary zone covering the critical aggregation site for Grey Nurse Sharks at the northern end of Montague Island. There should also be a practical community-wide program of action to rehabilitate reefs affected by the spread of urchin barrens.
The broad review should result in significantly expanded programs of research, education, infrastructure development and compliance in the Batemans Marine Park.
What can you do to help?
Go to the Save Batemans Sanctuaries Facebook or Instagram pages. Like the pages and invite your friends to do so. Like and share our posts.
Join Nature Coast Marine Group by going to https://www.ncmg.org.au/memberships . Not only will you be supporting the campaign, you will be able to participate in our field activities and keep informed.
Go to www.savebatemanssanctuaries.org.au and sign and send the letter we have there.
Write your own letter to politicians and/or call their offices and write to the media - contact details can be found by googling Ministers Adam Marshall, Matt Kean and/or Andrew Constance.
If you are in business of any kind sign our business statement at https://savebatemanssanctuaries.org.au/?page_id=85 also email your logo to cath@catfishcreative.com.au and we will add it to our NCMG page for local supporting businesses
If you are in business and would like to do more, for example hosting an event or speaking in public, please contact Bill Barker at 0417237639 or by replying to this email.
Come to our events, especially our screening of “Sanctuary” at the Bend and Sip, Narooma on 8 June. This will provide opportunities for discussion and Q & A. You can also go to the ’Treading Lightly' event in Milton on 30 May (see our other news items for more on these).
Can’t come to the event? View the “Sanctuary” video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3kCF1yoFZ0 . Share it and tell your friends about it.
Inform yourself about the issue by going to https://www.ncmg.org.au/bpm-sanctuary-zones