Summary meeting minutes of the Marine Estate Management Authority.

Meeting date: 1 December 2023

Attendance

Authority members or their nominees in attendance were:

• Chair, Marine Estate Management Authority (Dr Russell Reichelt AO FTSE FIMarEST)
• Chair, Marine Estate Expert Knowledge Panel (Anthea Tinney PSM)
• Deputy Secretary, Department of Planning and Environment – Environment and Heritage Group
• A/Executive Director, Department of Planning and Environment – Planning
• Deputy Director General, Department of Primary Industries – Fisheries

The Authority considered a range of matters at the meeting including those summarised below.

Re-appointment of Chair

The Authority will continue to be chaired by Dr Russell Reichelt. The Chair was re-appointed by the joint Ministers for the NSW marine estate and endorsed by NSW Cabinet. Dr Reichelt’s appointment is to Sept 2027.

Marine Estate Expert Knowledge Panel

The Panel provided advice on significant marine estate projects. In the last quarter the Panel has provided input to the Lord Howe Island community survey process, the Threat and Risk Assessment (TARA) Review and the Economic Contribution and Market Insights Report. The Panel is currently filling a vacancy for the Aboriginal expert in Sea Country management.

Marine Integrated Monitoring Program

The Authority was informed of progress on the mid-term evaluation of the Marine Estate Management Strategy. Consultants interviewed a range of stakeholders involved in the delivery of the Strategy. The mid-term evaluation will be accompanied by the TARA Review to inform a 5-year health check of the Marine Estate Management Strategy.

The Authority endorsed the Environmental Condition Framework which supports the monitoring and evaluation of the marine estate.

Marine park management planning

The Authority noted the Ministers responsible for the marine estate are considering the draft Mainland Marine Park Network Management Plan and summaries of submissions from community consultation. The Authority noted the statutory requirement for the review of the management rules for marine parks.

The Authority noted progress on the development of the Lord Howe Island Marine Park management plan. A quantitative community survey has commenced with island residents, NSW mainland residents, visitors and Aboriginal community members to be surveyed regarding the values of the Lord Howe Island Marine Park and threats to those values. The Authority noted the survey will be finalised before Christmas.

El Nino risk

The Authority noted the risk posed by the current El Nino to the delivery of the Marine Estate Management Strategy. Extreme weather events linked to the El Nino event may impact the delivery of the strategies projects. A risk management strategy has been developed to capture impact to strategy project delivery.

Economic value of the marine estate

The Authority endorsed the Economic Contribution and Market Insights Report completed by Deloitte. The contribution of the marine estate to the NSW economy is significant at $20.6 billion in income generated per year accounting for 2.5% of NSW economy. The marine estate supports over 100,000 jobs. Two thirds of the industries identified relied on a healthy marine estate. The report is part of a multi staged approach to understand the economy of the marine estate.

Floodplain Drainage Options Report

The Authority noted the Department of Planning and Environment - Water division’s Floodplain Drainage Options Report. The options will be subject of community consultation early next year. The objective is to improve the regulatory framework for coastal agricultural drainage works.

Environmentally Friendly Moorings  

The Authority noted progress on Environmentally Friendly Moorings (EFMs). Transport for NSW and CSIRO have completed a Literature Review of EFMs which is the first of its kind globally. The program continues with a trial of several types of moorings to assess design and performance.

Next meeting

The next meeting of the Authority is scheduled for April 2024.