Interim Report

Prototype Standard - Commonwealth Marine Environment

June 2020

Matter-specific - Commonwealth Marine Environment

Appendix 1 - Prototype National Environmental Standard for matters of national environmental significance (MNES). This section provides a prototype standard for the Commonwealth Marine Environment. This should be read in conjunction with the matter-specific standards and existing requirements of the EPBC Act. This should be read in conjunction with the overarching standards for MNES and the existing requirements of the EPBC Act.

The Commonwealth marine area is any part of the sea, including the waters, seabed, and airspace, within Australia's exclusive economic zone and/or over the continental shelf of Australia, that is not state or Northern Territory waters. The Commonwealth marine area stretches from 3 up to 200 nautical miles from the coast.

Element

Description

Environmental Outcome

The ecosystem functioning and integrity of Commonwealth marine waters are maintained or enhanced in line with relevant marine bioregional plans.

National Standard
  1. Actions must be consistent with marine park management plans.
  2. Actions must be consistent with marine Bioregional Plans.
  3. Actions must not kill, injure or take a listed marine species in a Commonwealth marine area, except where an EPBC Act permit is issued.

For fisheries operating in Commonwealth waters

  1. Management arrangements must be consistent with the Guidelines for the Ecologically Sustainable Management of Fisheries (2nd edition).

Requirements for threatened and migratory species that are also marine species are addressed in the Standard relevant to that MNES.

Further Information

Marine Park management plans

Marine Bioregional Plans

Guidelines for the Ecologically Sustainable Management of Fisheries (2nd edition)

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