View Full Version : Its now a marine park on 3600klm of coast
Premier & Trade
The Hon. Peter Beattie MP
20 October 2004
Longest Marine Park Will Protect Reef, Regional Jobs & Fishing
The Queensland Government will create Australia's longest state marine park to improve protection of the Great Barrier Reef, safeguard tens of thousands of jobs and ensure the future of fishing.
Premier Peter Beattie and Environment Minister Desley Boyle today unveiled the new Great Barrier Reef Coast Marine Park, which was made necessary by the Federal Government's new Great Barrier Reef Representative Areas Program.
"Cabinet has decided on a new marine park to protect more than 3600km of coastline from Baffle Creek near Bundaberg to the tip of Cape York," Mr Beattie told Parliament.
"It will take effect on November 5 and will be by far the longest state marine park in Australia.
"We have achieved a better balance than the Federal Government by working very hard on a formula that maintains fishing interests while improving reef protection.
"We have not taken the easy option of holus bolus mirror-zoning, because we place the interests of Queenslanders on a higher level than the Federal Government does.
"We will protect the reef and the region's $4.3 billion tourism industry, which supports more than 47,000 jobs," Mr Beattie said.
He said people who fish in rivers, creeks, channels, estuaries and mangroves will not be affected.
"Beach fishing will still be permitted along 85% of the Great Barrier Reef coastline, while most of the beaches where fishing will be banned are remote and barely accessible.
"Following extensive consultation, recreational fishing will be permitted in four designated areas - Sabina Point and McDonald Point in Shoalwater Bay, an area next to Charon Point Conservation Park and selected beaches on Bamborough Island.
"We have designated these as "yellow zones" because locals explained that blanket acceptance of the Federal plan would have barred them from beach fishing.
"We will maintain highly productive commercial crabbing grounds such as the mangroves, tidal channels, streams and foreshore flats of Shoalwater Bay, Broadsound, the Burdekin River mouth, Hinchinbrook Channel, the Narrows, Bowling Green Bay, Cleveland Bay and Missionary Bay.
"This means our beloved Queensland mud crab stays on the menu for Queenslanders and tourists.
"The dugongs of Shoalwater Bay will remain protected - their conservation measures are not affected.
"Now that the Queensland Government has delivered certainty about the new zoning in the inter-tidal waters of the Great Barrier Reef, we expect the Federal Government to meet its commitment to fully compensate commercial fishers disadvantaged by the Federal changes.
"The Federal Government has told people affected by its new zones that there is an uncapped structural adjustment package to buy out whole licences and I urge affected fishers to submit their tenders before the 8 November closing date," Mr Beattie said.
Ms Boyle said: "These changes have been forced on us by the Federal Government's new zoning plan, which took effect on 1 July.
"Our marine park will short-circuit the potential chaos which the Federal Government created when it changed the rules for reef waters up to low water mark - right next to the Queensland-regulated strip between the high and low water marks.
"Queensland's actions mean the same rules apply on both sides of a continually moving low water mark - without causing pain to the vast majority of fishers.
"The certainty created by this new park is an insurance policy for the Reef and the tourism industry in the region, translating to tens of thousands of jobs.
"The tourism industry benefits from protection of the water quality, fish and coral that attracts in excess of 1.6 million visitors to commercial tours annually.
"The proposed zoning was subject to extensive public consultation, with 9,422 people signing either a petition or a submission."
Of the 495 kilometres of green zones next to the coast, 350 kilometres are north of Port Douglas. Where there is road access to the coast in large remote green zones, a strip of yellow is inserted to allow for recreational fishing. Examples include: Captain Billy Landing, Bolt Head and Temple Bay on Cape York; and Allingham north of Townsville, Sabina Point, Charon Point, Curtis Island and Wreck Rock in the south.
"It is our duty to protect the Reef, one of the world's most precious marine ecosystems. The new Great Barrier Reef Coast Marine Park ensures more than 3600 km of Queensland coastline from Baffle Creek north of Bundaberg to the tip of Cape York is protected for future generations," Ms Boyle said.
"The new park will be more than 12 times longer than the next longest state marine parks in Australia - The Great Australian Bight Marine Park (300 km) and Ningaloo Marine Park (260 km)."
The new marine park fulfils a Beattie Government election commitment for complementary zoning of the Great Barrier Reef.
Further information is available at www.epa.qld.gov.au
20 October 2004
Media contact: Premier's office - 3406 7306; Minister's office - John Algate 0417 782 865
http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/parks_and_forests/marine_parks/gbr_coast_marine_park/
GBR Coast Marine Park
The Premier, Peter Beattie and the Environment Minister, Desley Boyle have announced the Queensland Government's decision to create a new Great Barrier Reef Coast Marine Park and zoning plan. They are scheduled to commence on 5 November 2004. See The Premier and Minister’s media release.
The GBR Coast Marine Park will extend the full length of the GBR coastline from just north of Baffle Creek to Cape York and incorporate the pre-existing four State marine parks in the GBR region. It will not include rivers, creeks, channels, estuaries or mangrove forests, other than those that were already part of the 4 pre-existing marine parks.
The exclusion of rivers, creeks, channels, estuaries and mangrove forests is to protect Queensland's iconic crabbing industry and to allow recreational fishing to continue.
The Queensland Government's new Great Barrier Reef Coast Marine Park and zoning plan have been created as a result of the Commonwealth Government's new zoning in the GBR that extends up to low water.
The GBR Coast Marine Park Zoning Plan effectively extends the new Commonwealth zoning from low water to high water or the seaward edge of mangrove forests, but not into rivers, creeks, estuaries or channels. The use and entry provisions will generally be the same as in the new Commonwealth zoning plan. This avoids confusion and duplication of approvals by having the same rules applying either side of a continually moving low water mark.
The extent of the GBR Coast Marine Park and its zoning was proposed in a regulatory impact statement released for consultation on 22 July 2004.
During the consultation, some areas were identified where the proposed zoning was impractical and the final zoning includes changes to address these:
Missionary, Cleveland and Bowling Green Bays. To limit the impact of the new zoning on the crabbing industry, "Commercial Crab Fisheries Areas" will be declared over a 500m wide strip in parts of the conservation park zone in Missionary, Cleveland and Bowling Green Bays to allow commercial crabbing to continue. See map A [PDF 1MB], map B and map C for details.
Broadsound and Southern Shoalwater Bay. The estuaries of Herbert Creek in Broadsound and Head Creek in Shoalwater Bay are clearly State waters and therefore will retain their previous zoning, not as shown on the current joint marine park mapping. See map D for details.
To provide practical access for recreational fishing, a narrow zone (500 metres wide) that allows recreational fishing will be included in the flowing locations:
Sabina Point, approximately 2 kilometres north and 1 kilometre south of the point;
adjacent the Shoalwater Bay Conservation Park (Macdonald Point);
adjacent part of Charon Point Conservation Park; and
selected beaches on Bamborough Island.
See map D for details.
The new zoning is shown on the series of joint marine parks maps, with the above changes.
Please note that maps will take a few minutes to download.
# #NOTE #GO TO here do townload these maps http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/parks_and_forests/marine_parks/gbr_coast_marine_park/
#
Map 1 #[PDF 1.7MB] Cape York
Map 2 [PDF 1.6MB] Cape Grenville
Map 3 #[PDF 1.9MB] Lockhardt River
Map 4 [PDF 2.1MB] Cape Melville
Map 5 [PDF 2MB] Cooktown
Map 6 [PDF 1.5MB] Cairns
Map 7 #[PDF 1.5MB] Innisfail
Map 8 #[PDF 2MB] Townsville
Map 9 #[PDF 1.6MB] Cape Upstart
Map10 [PDF 2.3MB] Whitsunday
Map11 #[PDF 1.8MB] Hydrographers Passage
Map 12 #[PDF 1.7MB] Mackay
Map 13 #[PDF 2MB] Swain Reefs West
Map 14 [PDF 2MB] Swain Reefs East
Map 15 [PDF 220KB] Shoalwater Bay (Map D)
Map 16 [PDF 1.2MB] Byfield
Map 17 #[PDF 2MB] Gladstone
Map 18 [PDF 762KB] Bundaberg
#
Last updated: 20 October 2004
notts_so
21-10-2004, 01:27 PM
Gary tell me are these maps i just looked at the new marine park #we hav all been discussing this arvo [smiley=dunce.gif]
Derek Bullock
21-10-2004, 01:29 PM
Folks
I wouldn't like to get into a serious debate about this on false information, but the press release and the intent is NOT that it is now illegal to fish on 3600 kilometres of beach.
The press release clearly states:
"Beach fishing will still be permitted along 85% of the Great Barrier Reef coastline, while most of the beaches where fishing will be banned are remote and barely accessible".
It further states:
"The exclusion of rivers, creeks, channels, estuaries and mangrove forests is to protect Queensland's iconic crabbing industry and to allow recreational fishing to continue".
I cannot see anywhere that it says "IT IS NOW ILLEGAL TO GO FISHING ON 3600 KLM OF BEACH" as your subject topic suggests.
Cheers
Derek
Barrymundi
21-10-2004, 02:18 PM
What a crap posting that is full of shit.
Its now illegal to go fishing on 3600klm of beach - WHERE DOES IT SAY THIS ?
People like you need to get the FACTS before posting shit.
Sick of the lies and bullshit people post here.
Derek Bullock
21-10-2004, 02:36 PM
Now thats interesting ............... the topic has been changed since I posted my reply ................ just to keep everyone honest, the original subject was "IT'S NOW ILLEGAL TO GO FISHING ON 3600 KLM OF BEACH"
Cheers
Derek
My " crap" #as you so kindly put it is now ammended.
Looks like they did listen to the political backlash from the 33.3% closures to the reef. # #It will take a cartographer a week to work out the actual closed areas.
Still, these closures are in support of a reef closure plan that essentially ignored good scientific advice #- and 30,000 submissions.
Gary
Barrymundi
21-10-2004, 02:45 PM
The whole thread should be deleted now.
By the way, what political backlash are you going on about ?
Which party opposed the Green Zones when the legislation went through parliament?
Which political party has a member in parliament that opposed the Green Zones ?
In Townsville the Fishing Party could not generate enough interest to have somebody at the polling booth to hand out how to vote cards.
For the last couple of years the media and anglers have been issuing crap reports like this. The general public believe it to be true, they then tell somebody else and it is true.
Anybody who wants to sell their boats or fishing gear give me a call. I will take them off your hands.
Maybe this chat area needs to be divided into FICTION and NON-FICTION
Al
Kerry
21-10-2004, 04:33 PM
And obviously what some (still) need to do is come up with the actual FACTS that support all this green pandering. Most may as well just bend over and be done with it.
Cheers, Kerry.
budgie
21-10-2004, 05:30 PM
Well said Al and Derek, however i am disappointed that there wasnt more thought put into this. Commercial crabbing of Hinchinbrook :( :( for eg. This is one area that stands out to me.Cheers Budgie
"Cabinet has decided on a new marine park to protect more than 3600km of coastline from Baffle Creek near Bundaberg to the tip of Cape York," Mr Beattie told Parliament.
This is the line that caught a lot of people off guard and the assumption that "new marine park" meant "no fishing" was a pretty easy miss.
I even had radio stations ring me having interpreted the press release this way and took it up with John Algate from the Ministers office yesterday afternoon. He in turn understood how the mistake was made.
The actual amount of coastline on which recreational fishing is either banned or retricted (yellow) is 1800 klm. The 85% quoted by the Government refers to green zones only and does not take into account green zones on inshore coastal islands. It is open to interpretation as to wether these are "coastline" or not but many are most certainly now closed and some were popular beach fishing areas. As an example. IF they close 1/3rd of Frazers beaches, would you consider this closing down the coast to beach fishing??
As to Als snipe about The Fishing Party vote in Townsville, it is clearly dissapointing that more rec fishers were not prepared to actually help come polling day, especially given they could not go fishing that weekend because of the reef closures...but...we always knew rec fishers are a pretty apathetic lot. At the end of the day, we reap what we sow. Given we had virtually zero dollars for advertising, manning the booths was really the best way of getting to the voters. Of the booths manned across Queensland we averaged 6.22% of the vote. In Dawson of 6664 votes cast in manned booths we got 9.22%, in Booths manned in the Townsville area we got above 10% in many and in the only booth manned in Cape York , a booth of just on 1000 votes we got 20.6%. WE actually only had funds to print 40,000 HTV cards & with these managed 30,000 votes.
The 30,000 votes we did get effectively changed the course of the election by giving the Nationals the extra Senate seat in Qld and effectively the Howard Government control of the Senate.
To get our preferences the Nationals gave us a series of written committments so don't be too quick to judge what effect the fishing vote had, you may just be pleasently surprised.
Your cynical view may end up being correct but , personally, we are prepared to have a go and try to give politicians a chance to honour their pre-election committments. If we are wrong, lets face it, it is not going to be any worse!!
Regards
KC
Gazza
22-10-2004, 02:51 PM
JMHO.......guys my interpretation for "now"...... [smiley=2thumbsup.gif] [smiley=lost.gif]
I think it's a reasonable "move" ,in that it "seems to me" like a State line drawn in the sand against the Federal green tide, presently sitting at the low water mark [smiley=evil.gif] and further, claiming creeks,rivers,etc. as Qld dirt ,so as to not "now" simply need a re-adjustment of some Federal GPS marks.
Can't say it couldn't go downhill , but i doubt it.
If you disagree ,that's fine ,but it could of been worse if it was federal , as by being "state" we can vote on it ,in the future. ;)
Kerry
22-10-2004, 03:46 PM
Gazza, the simple fact is the STATE sold out to the federals a long time ago [smiley=thumbsdown.gif]
If the STATE had any balls there would have been a complete coastal corridor the complete length of the coast, which was under the control of the STATE. Right now every STATE owned venture is heamed in on all sides by the federal bureaucrats.
Lets face it the STATE can't even return federal originated material back to the federal side of the fence, total bureaucratic BS #[smiley=thumbsdown.gif]
To have allowed GBRMPA utter and total control to the low water mark is an absolute disgrace and sell out.
Cheers, Kerry.
Gazza
22-10-2004, 04:24 PM
Don't understand the normal? 3Klm ? limit of state waters either Kerry ,is it because GBR is 'special' i.e. world heritage and overrides that State boundary automatically or was handed over long ago. #??? or just in the recent carve-up #???
Kerry
22-10-2004, 04:47 PM
#??? or just in the recent carve-up #???
You mean stuff up #::)
Frankly it's a pathetic situation when STATE owned and run facilities can not bloody well dump what originally comes from now GBRMPA waters back into GBRMPA waters, oh no GBRMPA says go stuff up some QLD land and dump OUR sh.. there #::)
Really when will people start to see this sh.. for what it really is and not for something they actually (want to, wish to) think it is.
Cheers, Kerry.
baldyhead
22-10-2004, 07:10 PM
ITS A SORRY DAY WHEN SCUMBAG HOWARD HAS CONTROL OF THE SENATE... AND TO THINK THAT MY VOTE FOR THE FISHING PARTY HELPED TO GIVE HIM THIS CONTROL.....
ANYONE GOT A ROPE ?
Baldys got a good point but had our preferences ended up with Labor, they would have in turn flowed to Drew Hutton & the greens may well have been a balance of power party....not 100% sure on this..just looks that way. Maybe what we have is the lesser of 2 evils but we do have a series of written undertakings from the National party which we will be following up.
Moving on from this, Premier Pete could have stopped the beach closures but chose not to. A big, and I mean REAL BIG issue now will be displaced commercial effort from "yellow & green" intertidal areas now being forced up into estuaries, creeks and rivers. This whole issue is a long way from over yet and no one can really tell what the effects are going to be.
Regards
KC
agnes_jack
23-10-2004, 07:40 AM
Don,t give up on the fishing party yet fella's!
I believe there is a stack of issues that are yet to surface thier ugly heads still yet to come. We need a voice, with out it we will not be heard.
As KC says, the preferences had to go somewhere, the lesser of the evils is better than nothing.
Regards, Tony
Written undertakings: by politicians are often taken by the undertaker and buried! ;D
Do beach closures on isolated beaches do any thing more than pander to the green vote or is this another over reaction to terrorism. It is easier to police no go areas from the air, no one there OK, some one there investigate. A few years back Indonesians set up a village on the West coast and no one twigged for a few months. If it had of been a no go area it would have been investigated within hours. Are we going to see more "isolated beaches" closed?
Your right KC, the big issues are yet to come.
Gorilla_in_Manila
23-10-2004, 07:52 AM
KC,
You might know this:
Is there a difference in process for changing fishing zones now that the marine park is established? ie Is it easier to change zones after the establishment of the park, than what it was to establish the park to start with.
Smells like the thin end of the wedge to me.
(eg. Cape Byron Marine park and fishing closure process revisited)
Cheers
Jeff
From a legislative point of view...yes...much easier. Long term there has clearly been an agenda to ban fishing in "national parks". It has been tried once before and cost the Goss Government power. Clearly fishing/hunting is at odds with the stated aim of any national park, in its purest form. This may be the "thin edge ofd the wedge" as you say but at the same time rec fishers have made a point at the last election which will not have gone unoticed.
This legislation has been in place long before the election, it was just kept a bit quiet, not unlike the seasonal reef fin fish closures.
Personally, I think the next battlerground will be Frazer, because of its world heritage listing I think it may well end up being subjected to the same closures as the GBR. This is not a fact, just an educated guess but you are clearly right in concluding that making the entire coast from Bundy to Cape York Marine park has some seriuos ramifications for rec fishers.
And Glug the actual reef closures were not about pandering to the green vote, in essence they were about the deal done with the Democrats to get the GST passed through the Senate and the Democrats Oceans Policy (adopted by Howard as part of the deal) came up with the arbituary number of 30% NTA)...The Libs know they will never get Green Preferences..these will always go to Labor, trouble is they appear to have become an Albotros around Lathams neck..at least in NQ & Tassy.
The pissy little Fishing Party, with no money and bugger all help, actually outpolled both the green and democrats north of Mackay.
Regards
KC
uncle_barry
23-10-2004, 04:16 PM
Good evening All.
To all the people who have changed their minds about the FP, or don't think they are doing the correct or right thing, what would you suggest ?
Are you about to start a Party where you and all rec, fishers can have a voice to balance against the madness of the deep Greens with their stop everything, the Government will feed and house us type thing.
So instead of crying about what or may be or might be, how about getting behind the TP and offer help !
So the FT will be strong and poweful, isn't this is what is required ?
Then the man and the party that thinks he and the Party are born to rule Queensland will have to listen and make promises to the TP or they are no longer in the position of God for Queensland, then what about the very next election, here in Queensland, then the Federal election.
What is required is a strong team with strong leadership and strong dollars behind them.
So how about saying to KC, what can I do, for MY FUTURE ?
What can I do to help with fund raising ?
Please sit back and think, has any other polly party tried to help YOU and the way you want to spend your off work time.
I haven't found one, have you?
To the nice people who read this and think, its up there it doesn't matter, check out Victoria and N.S.W's, it won't be long when it will be a crime to own a fishing rod.
Some time ago, I was told 'they will ban rifles', I laughted.. silly me, the same person said after guns, its your fishing rod, I owned a couple of rifles and a couple of fishing rods, and NOW, I am not laughing !
I work as a importer of fishing gear and I fish every evening.
Kind regards.
Barry.
Well said Barry & straight up let me be really clear that we (TFPQ) don't have all the answers (by a long shot) but are trying to have a go.
Having only been formed 6 months ago we have had to go like mad and have a pretty narrow focus, just to get to the election in time. That now done we really have to look beyond our local sphere and broaden our base of both membership and ideas.
We need to model ourselves on other political organisations and our constitution clearly is designed for this purpose.
What we need now is branches...little groups of dedicated guys/girls in as many towns and cities as possible. Organise locally, recruit members, attend the AGM and feed in policy, direction and ideas so the party can develop and move beyond its main focus of the reef closures and look at issues effecting rec fishers right across the state and country.
We are due to have an AGM around March next year. Anyone who wants help forming a branch should get in touch by PM and I will give you all the help and encouragement you need and, if possible, come down/up to your formation meeting.
In essence there are only about a dozen of "us" doing the work at present and we would welcome a few more people prepared to do some organising and work.
Look forward to hearing from you Barry and anyone else who can see the writting on the wall and wants to make a difference.
Regards
KC
Volvo
24-10-2004, 08:06 AM
:)Well the fishin party stickers stay attatched to my rig anyhows :)..Me thinks the last resort may end up comming to a last stand somewhere's down the track if one still wants to go Fishing anyway, from the way things arelooking from wher ei stand :( ???...
Nuthin has come by anyones way without someone having had ta fight for it somewhere along the track..Directly or indirectly....have a think for a short spell ;)...
Cheers
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