Marine and Coastal

Western Australians from all backgrounds value our ocean, beaches and riverfronts as public places open to all. These areas need protection from developments that exclude responsible public access and damage natural values. Many parts of our coast are being threatened by insensitive development, some of which prevent, or restrict, waterfront access by local communities. The precautionary principle¹, which is essential to safeguard fragile coastal environments and to protect people and buildings from powerful coastal processes, is not being applied in coastal planning.

Our marine environment is under increased pressure from human activities. There is an urgent need for ecological sustainable management of all State waters. Many coral reefs, bays, mangroves, estuaries and islands are of outstanding ecological importance. These should be protected in a comprehensive, adequate and representative marine reserve system.

Goals

The Greens (WA) want:

• no coastal developments that deny or restrict responsible public access to coastal beaches and waters
• public ownership of the coastline, the estuaries and offshore islands of Western Australia
• major coastal development and infrastructure only considered following the development of regional coastal zone strategies based on a coastal capability assessment and community participation
• such regional coastal zone strategies to include:
  - responsible public access
  - building height restrictions
  - adequate set-backs (of at least 100 metres from the first stable line of vegetation taking into consideration predicted sea level rise)
  - consideration of cyclonic tidal surges and/or tsunamis
  - a prohibition on canal developments
  - increased funding to protect out ocean and coastal waters from resource exploitation

Initiatives

The Greens (WA) will initiate and support legislation and actions that:

• make the 100-metre setback for development in the coastal zone a legally binding minimum with a 150 metre minium in regional development nodes
• only permit marina-style developments in limited zones established specifically for that purpose and determined through comprehensive regional structure plans
• prohibit the sale of sea bed, river beds and adjoining foreshores
• ensure that all proposals for development in the coastal zone are subject to formal environmental and social impact assessment with full community consultation
• expand the role of the Coastal Planning and Coordination Council to act as an independent advocate for sustainable coastal planning and to provide independent advice to the WA Planning Commission and the Minister
• support the establishment of a non-Government organisation to identify and advocate for community participation in coastal zone planning
• develop rigorous licence conditions applicable to all projects where there is a potential for pollution and strict enforcement of those licence conditions by the Department of Environment to prevent pollution in the marine and coastal environments
• develop Integrated Catchment Management plans for all catchments as a matter of urgency and directly resource community groups (such as Coastcare and Landcare groups) involved in management of these areas
• develop strategies to phase out sewage outfalls into the ocean with a view to implementing low energy treatment alternatives

Marine conservation

• ensure that adequate resources are provided to monitor and enforce compliance with policies, legislation and regulations which assist with conservation of the marine environment
• end shell sand mining, which destroys seagrasses in the Cockburn Sound/Owen Anchorage area
• establish a WA Biodiversity Conservation Act to protect all aquatic species unless specifically exempted through a sustainability assessment process (i.e. it must complement the Commonwealth EPBC Act)
• implement Bioregional Marine planning, under a WA Biodiversity Conservation Act, to ensure ecological sustainable management of all State waters and to remove the conflict of interest that Fisheries WA have with the requirement to both exploit and conserve all aquatic species
• establish a comprehensive, adequate and representative network of Marine Parks and Reserves throughout the State and ensure these Parks and Reserves
  - are selected on the basis of bio-physical criteria recommended by an independent scientific working group
  - are zoned and managed following an agreement, across government agencies, on specific, measurable biodiversity conservation outcomes
  - are adequately resourced and managed on an ecosystem basis
  - contain functionally-effective, representative no-take areas of at least 20% by area of each marine habitat type
  - exclude exploration and mining
  - provide for full community involvement in its planning and development

• amend legislation to remove the right of veto by the Ministers for Fisheries and Resource Development over the Environment Minister’s ability to initiate and declare Marine Parks and Reserves
• ensure all Port Authorities are required to produce and adhere to an Environment Management Plan, particularly to accept solid and oil waste, minimise pollution and prevent ballast water introduction
• assess the extent of infestations of exotic species introduced through ballast water and introduce better measures to control these pests
• develop a system of environmental and safety accreditation for all shipping using Western Australian waters
• participate in the establishment of an Australian-wide marine management authority to oversee marine and coastal management on land and at sea.

Glossary
1. precautionary principle - where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation.