8/12/2019 CIACA Consult Jan z April 2011

1/3

The Hon Paul caica MPM.mber for colton /dx{"r&$.tw/Governmentot South A.ustrallaMlnlrt rlor En{rono.nt.ndaon* .rl.nMinEt rlordE nlEr Mutr.Mlnlner lor W.t i9rh Bd, Clrcsler Ho(Ee9137ctsnft Strer

DX 138Tel 0a 846 5630fa 08 A16 5681nini*er(ai6oi..gdru

Ref:11MEC1207

l,f apnt zor r

:

iAs you are a\rvare, the lifth and linal round of Marine Park Local Advisory Group(MPLAG) meetings is scheduled for late April and early May' MPLAGS will be askedto generate zonlng advice no later thao lhe iffh meeting, enabling Govemment todevelop draft management plans with zoning forpubllc consultation later in 2011As this wlll be the last MPLAG moeiing, ii is impoftant that members maxlmlse thisopportunlty lo provide advice, The purpose of my lelter is to offer guidance on arange of issues which, ln my vlew, are important to the su6cess of the next round ofmeetings.Recently I participated in t'&o publlc intcrmalion days held in Adelalde ln whlch largemaps containlng all cuffont MPLAG advics were displayed for the community to Yi6wsnd discuss. The maps helped demonstrate how the community' thrcugh theMPLAGS, has been able to pmvide local zonlng advjce. I thank you for the rrvork youand your group.have done to date and I understand lhe challenging circumstances inwhich this work has been conducted'Having viewed the MPLAG advice to dale, I am pleased to see good zoningsuggestions emerglng in some area6, acknowledglng also that in other areasdeveloping possible zoning outcomes is a signiflcant challenge and requires furtherdiscusslon,When draft management plans ara prepared later this year, I will seek to ensure lhe Irequirements of tie Mariie Patks Act 2oo7 are met, as well as the needs oJ iocal Immmunities, To assist MPLAGS to pmvide a competent proposal which balances Igood oonservation outcomes with minimising economic and social impacts: _ I

8/12/2019 CIACA Consult Jan z April 2011

2/3

. I encourags msmbers to revisit the zoning cheokllsts provided to MPLAGS st thethird meeting. The checklists help ensure the design principles are applied and awll balanced result is achieved.

. I encourage members to reMsit the advice I proMded to help achieve adequatesanctuary zones and competent conseryation outcomes. This is not lntended 1obe prescriplive guidance, but rather to show what ls considered a good outcome,. As you are aware, the Govemment is committed to minimising displacement ofcommercial and recreatlonal effon and has made numerous policy commitmentsto assisl ln aciieving this aim. I encourage memberE to conslder areas of lessorimportance forfshing when developing zoning advice.. As you are also aware, the Govemment is required to pay fair and reasonablecompensation to commercial flshers where their statutory rights have beenaffectd. The commercial fshing lnduslry has ben advised ofthe Govemmeni'spolicy position in relation to displaced commerclal effort.. The strength of MPLAGS lies in the diversity of their members, allhough Irecognise thai this makes generating a uniied view dlftcult. Whlle I do not expectconsensus out of MPLAGs, I advise that eflbrls lo minlmise numerous zoningposillons will assist the Govemment to recognise a best-fit solution for your localcommunity.. I encolrage Chairs and members to not allow debates about pmcess il distractyou from this last opportunity to provide zoning advice. Some stakeholders havestrenuously lobbied the Government to alter the process ot marine parkdevelopment to a threats-based process. I have lislened to the argumerts andreaffm that the curent process as specified by N4arine Parks Act provides cleardlrection and is consistent with national and internalional best practice,

While not an issue in all groups, I have received reports that during zoningdjsoussions some MPLAG members and gallery members have engaged inantagonlstc, sometimes inlimidating behaviour. Obviously ihis makes the task forboth Chairs and members unnecessarily more challenging.I have asked the Departmenl of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to offsradditional support to the MPLAG meetings wherever needed, and I encourage you todiscuss any concerns about inappropriate ordisruplive behaviour with DENR staff.At ihe fourth MPLAG meeting and subsequent workshops I am aware that somemembers have sought clarifcatjon about how Government will work with their advicein developing drafl management plans. I reiterale the Governmenfs vlew thatMPLAGS are a very important source of local advice. There are many otherstakeholders too, whose advice must also be considered in developlng drafrmanagement plans with zoning. The Govemmenfs task following the MPLAGprocess is to distil all advice and produce a competent draft management plan foreach park for public consultation. Any consensus advlc reached by MPLAGS \^ouldinevitably assist this process.

8/12/2019 CIACA Consult Jan z April 2011

3/3

The Government belives ftat the MPLAG process assistE to engender communityownership of marine park zoning outcomes and community particlpation in ongoingpark management Whlle the next MPLAG meeting wlll be your final meeling, lhaveasked DENR to consider how members can contlnue to participate if they wish.lf you require any funhar information, or wish to dlscuss any matter further, pleasecontact yor ' Executiv Officer or my ofllce directly. I e,ytend my best wishes for asuccessful flth round of MPLAG meetings. I am aware MPLAG Chairs have facedconsiderlble challenges in managing meelings and coping with the pressures ofIocal community expectalion.On bshalf of the Govemment, I believe Chairs have pErformed exceplionally well indlfiicult circumstances and I agaln thank you for your voluntary cordribution to themarine parks process.Yours sincerely

ftt--PAUL CAICAMINISTER FOR ENVIRONMENT AND CONSERVATION