MEMA 37 - summary minutes

August 2020

Dr Russell Reichelt chaired the meeting. Authority members or their nominees in attendance were:

• Chair, Marine Estate Expert Knowledge Panel
• Deputy Director General Fisheries, Department of Primary Industries
• Deputy Secretary Safety and Environment, Transport for NSW (TfNSW)
• A/Deputy Secretary, Environment, Energy and Science, Department Planning, Industry and Environment
• Director Policy, Planning and Assessment, Department Planning, Industry and Environment.

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

Marine Estate Management Strategy

The Authority noted progress on implementation of Stage 1 (2018-2020) of the Marine Estate Management Strategy (Strategy) and endorsed the quarterly report for the period ending 30 June 2020. Progress and risks were noted on the various projects being delivered across the marine estate. Significant achievements for the last quarter are outlined in the Strategy Snapshot – year 2, quarter 4 report.

The Strategy Snapshot highlights that despite immense challenges in quarter 4 associated with COVID-19 restrictions, the Strategy achieved considerable outcomes, with positive benefits across the NSW marine estate. Ongoing impacts from bushfires, drought and floods in late 2019 / early 2020 affected delivery in quarter 4, although the program remained in scope with manageable delays.

Stage 1 of the Strategy ended 30 June 2020. Key achievements will be reported in the Strategy Implementation Annual report, which will be published before the end of the year. Project updates are posted on the marine estate website regularly.

Over 100 jobs (70+ in regional NSW) established in Stage 1 are continuing to focus on Strategy delivery which is also helping the regions recover from drought, bushfire and flood. Details on the full set of projects are outlined in the Strategy Implementation Plan.

More information on Strategy implementation and the range of initiatives and projects can be found on the marine estate website.

$28 million to ramp up boating facilities

New and updated boating infrastructure will be delivered across the state under the latest round of the NSW Government’s Boating Now Program.

In July, Minister for Transport, Andrew Constance, announced 69 successful projects have secured grant funding under the NSW Government’s $28 million Boating Now Program for projects to improve boating access and safety. The Boating Now Program aims to provide better access to NSW waterways for local and visiting boaters so they can enjoy their time on the water with safety and ease.

The Boating Now Program is part of Initiative 6 of the NSW’s Government Marine Estate Management Strategy to improve environmental sustainable access to the marine estate, For more information on the program and successful projects go to Boating Now.

Marine Integrated Monitoring Program

Work on the Marine Integrated Monitoring Program (MIMP) continues.

A new governance structure for the delivery of the MIMP has been developed to ensure the MIMP implementation is collaborative, underpins management needs and informs the five-year health check of the Strategy scheduled in 2023. The MIMP’s monitoring and evaluation framework is available on the marine estate website.

Consultants have been engaged to assist with research design and implementation of social surveys to inform community wellbeing monitoring associated with the NSW marine estate. Engagement with coastal residents, visitors, Aboriginal communities and marine estate agency staff is a major component of these surveys.

Work continues on prioritising and filling key knowledge gaps, in cooperation with our partners.

Marine Estate Management Act Review

The five-year statutory review of the Marine Estate Management Act (2014) is underway. The review is to determine whether the policy objectives of the Act remain valid and whether the terms of the Act remain appropriate for securing those objectives.

Marine park management planning pilots

A new approach to management planning for NSW marine parks continues, with pilot projects underway in Batemans and Port Stephens-Great Lakes Marine Parks. Planning is in accordance with the requirements of the Marine Estate Management Act 2014. For the first time the plans will identify the environmental, social, cultural and economic values to be managed in the marine park, identify the threats to those values and outline management objectives and actions to conserve the values and reduce the threats over a 10-year timeframe.

Further community engagement is underway with agencies, the Knowledge Panel and the marine park advisory committees to inform the draft plans.

Next meeting

The next meeting of the Authority is scheduled for November 2020.