Vast areas of important West Australian and Northern Territory ocean and coastline have been excluded from two draft Marine Bioregional Plans released today by the Federal Environment Minister.

“The Government continues to prioritise the interests of the resource sector and commercial fishing industry ahead of effective marine protection,” Senator Rachel Siewert, Australian Greens marine spokesperson said today.

“These plans emphasise a policy short term gain ahead of adequate marine protection.

“These two marine regions contain stunning natural environments and are home to a wide range of important and protected species.

“It is important to strike a balance between development and protection, and the plans released today fail to achieve this.

“The issues involved in marine protection, the resource sector and the fishing industry are not easily solved, but that is no excuse for the Government to consign them to the too-hard basket and short change biodiversity protection.

“As a consequence, the Government’s planning falls well short of the mark which would be set by an evidence based, scientific approach to conservation.

“We have seen previous threats to environmental safety off our northern coast, most significantly with the Montara oil spill. This planning process offers the Government a great opportunity to put in place better protection for sensitive marine areas.

“I strongly encourage the Environment Minister to look at the evidence which be provided through this consultation process and develop a strong, conservation focused plan,” Senator Siewert concluded.