MINUTES TECHNICAL COMMITTEE MEETING

29 November 2018, Bayside Council

Contents

Item Page Administrative Matters 1 Presentations 3 Discussion Item – CMP Process Submission 5 Update on SCCG Activities 5 Member Council Roundtable 6 General Business 10

1. Administrative Matters

1.1 Opening - Welcome

BA welcomed TC delegates to the meeting.

1.2 Attendance and Apologies

Attendance and apologies are listed in the table below.

Representative Council Attended Apology Ms Judith Betts (JB) Bayside Council  Mr Colin Mable (CM) Bayside Council  Ms Jean Brennan (JBr) Inner West Council  Ms Victoria Adair (VA) Northern Beaches Council  Ms Ruby Ardren (RA) Northern Beaches Council  Ms Jodie Crawford (JC) Northern Beaches Council  Ms Niki Carey (NC) North Council  Ms Bronwyn Englaro (BE) Randwick council  Mr Gwyn Cleeves (GC) Sutherland Shire Council  Mr Nathan Varley (NV) Sutherland Shire Council  Mr Sam McGuinness (SMc) Waverley Council  Ms Jaime Hogan (JH) Waverley Council  Ms Nicola Faith (NF) Willoughby Council  Ms Micaela Hopkins (MH) Woollahra Council  Mr Tom Coughlin (TC) Woollahra Council  Ms Sarah Joyce (SJ) SCCG  Ms Belinda Atkins (BA) SCCG  Ms Josephine Zappia (JZ) SCCG  Ms Sue Burton Cooks River Alliance  Presenters: Prof Bruce Thom/John Hudson NSW Coastal Council  Dr Peter Freewater/Paul Donaldson OEH / BMT 

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1.3 Confirmation of Minutes

Minutes of the Technical Committee meeting held on 23 August 2018 were distributed in electronic form to TC delegates. The Minutes were confirmed at the meeting.

1.4 Business Arising

BA directed TC delegates to the update on actions for the Business Arising from the 23 August 2018 meeting, provided in the ‘Summary of Resolutions, Actions, and Outcomes Table’ in the 29 November 2018 Technical Committee Meeting Agenda.

1.5 Meetings

The next Technical Committee Meeting is: Thursday 14 February 2019. nominated to host the next meeting at the Coal Loader.

1.6 Summary of Actions – 29 November 2018 Meeting

Actions Lead Due date Status Administrative Matters Confirmation of Minutes Minutes of Technical Committee meeting held 23 August 2018 All 29 November Completed were confirmed. Administration Thank you letters to be sent to the Presenters, and the host SEC 30 November Completed Council Discussion EO to send a draft of the CMP submission to TC delegates for SEC 4 December Completed review. Roundtable SEC to send North Sydney Council delegate single-use plastic SEC 3 December Completed policy information.

SEC to provide previous presentation on the Harbourcare SEC 4 December program.

SEC to provide Bayside with information on other councils that SEC 17 December have undertaken beach nourishment. Update on SCCG Activities and Projects A password for the SCCG website members area to be sent to BA 5 December delegates.

SCCG to distribute the Hazard Information sources document to BA 4 December TC delegates with the Minutes.

TC delegates to determine whether they are interested in All 20 December participating in a trial of ‘smart drumlines’ as a shark deterrent. And respond to BA if interested.

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2. Guest Presentations

Presentation: Emeritus Professor Bruce Thom and Mr John Hudson, NSW Coastal Council

Professor Bruce Thom provided an overview of the coastal reform process and history and discussed the role of the NSW Coastal Council. Mr John Hudson updated the Group on project work being undertaken by the NSW coastal Council. Notes from the presentation are provided below.

• In 2016 the Coastal Management Act was legislated, however was not promulgated until 2018 with the release of the Coastal Management SEPP and manual. • The Coastal Council commenced their responsibilities on 26 June 2018, following formal sign off by the Minister. • Challenges for coastal management include: o The implications of population growth and changing demographics for the protection of environmental assets. The Coastal Management Act is linked to planning by referencing the Local Government Act and the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act. o The implications of Climate Change. Although difficult under the current government, the Act accepts that we need to understand climate change. • There are 3 Objects of the Act that refer to climate change: o Object G: to recognize that the local and regional scale effects of coastal processes, and the inherently ambulatory and dynamic nature of the shoreline, may result in the loss of coastal land to the sea (including estuaries and other arms of the sea), and to manage coastal use and development accordingly, and o Object F: to mitigate current and future risks from coastal hazards, taking into account the effects of climate change, and o Object I: to encourage and promote plans and strategies to improve the resilience of coastal assets to the impacts of an uncertain climate future including impacts of extreme storm events. • Coastal Management Program (CMP): o Scoping studies are being made by local councils without fully understanding and incorporating the requirements of the Act. E.g. Section 12: The purpose of a coastal management program is to set the long-term strategy for the coordinated management of land within the coastal zone with a focus on achieving the objects of this Act. o The CMP ensures the engagement with public authorities through Section 23 of the Act: Public authorities (other than local councils) are to have regard to coastal management programs to the extent that those programs are relevant to the exercise of their functions. o Councils and public authorities need to engage with each other in the early stages of the scoping study. o Minister Upton has asked the NSW Coastal Council to advise on any barriers to the CMP process, and to meet with public authorities. The NSW Coastal Council will meet with RMS in December. • The NSW Coastal Council is comprised of seven people with technical expertise. The role of the Coastal Council is to; provide advice and guidance to the Minister; refer information to the Minister; conduct performance audits of Council CMPs; identify opportunities for local council capacity building; approach public authorities regarding engagement with CMPs; and seek expert advice on legal/policy matters. • Noted that there are opportunities for councils to work together on the development of CMPs. CMPs should either be done jointly between neighbouring councils and/or councils that share a sediment compartment; or councils at least need to consider what happens in shared estuaries of adjoining councils. • To facilitate the planning and implementation of CMPs, an online survey has been developed for completion by mid-December. • The online survey was sent to local councils on 28.11.18 - identifying issues and impediments to implementing a CMP.

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• The next step will involve the compilation of actions listed for each certified Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP). • A selected review of the status of priority actions for the next 12-24 months for a state-wide sample of representative CZMPs, will then be undertaken.

Questions to the Presenters

1. Q. Groundwater has not been picked up in the CMP scoping study – is this a gap that needs to be addressed. A. Groundwater may be included in the manual in some form. There will be a revision of the manual in 2019, which will provide an opportunity to cover any existing gaps.

2. Q. How can the disconnect between MEMA and local councils be bridged? A. The MEMA process evolved without full consideration of local government although many aspects of implementation rely on local governments. It will be the role of MEMA Agencies to engage with councils to undertake actions on the ground.

Presentation: Dr Peter Freewater, OEH and Paul Donaldson, BMT

Notes from this presentation are provided below.

• The Greater Sydney CMP Scoping Study is focused on coordinated management at system- wide scales (estuaries, sediment, compartments). • The scoping study is in the first stage: identifying the scope of a CMP. o Stakeholders: federal, state, and regional orgs (e.g SCCG and Cooks River Catchment Alliance); 12 foreshore councils, 9 catchment councils, Aboriginal Land Council, community groups. o Risks and hazards: tidal inundation, cliff instability, sediment contamination, shipping threats, climate change and sea level rise, increasing population growth. • Stakeholder engagement feedback- values, threats, governance, vision. o Issues themes: land use contamination, resource use and conflict, public safety, natural hazards, governance o Values: the symbolic value of Sydney Harbour. o The advantages and opportunities of a CMP stated by stakeholders is the idea of one harbor. • First pass risk assessment to identify the present and future risks (e.g. population growth and climate change). • CMP will dovetail with parallel planning initiatives – linking with the District Plans. • A single, whole-of-system CMP is needed to facilitate a coordinated and integrated management of Australia’s most iconic and important waterway (along with Botany Bay as the gateway to Australia’s trade). • CMP structure proposed: Overarching Greater Sydney Harbour CMP; Sub-catchment scale plans; LGA scale implementation schedules • Stage 2. Governance review proposed. • Preliminary business case to doing a CMP for councils: Integration of coastal management; Community engagement; Manage climate risks; Good social and environmental outcomes for the coast; Statutory immunity to councils for actions taken under the CMP. • Benefits of a system-wide CMP; Collaboration; Increased funding and investment; Removal of duplication; Improved communication and advocacy; address strategic harbor-wide issues. • Currently there is no strategic governance for Sydney Harbour. • For Greater Sydney Harbour CMP stages 2-4, an estimated 1.5 million in funding is needed (as calculated by OEH, BMT scoping study estimates 3 million). • The OEH proposal for funding the CMP: 12 foreshore councils to pay $10k per year for 3 years; 9 catchment councils to pay $5k per year for 3 years; public authorities to pay $15k pa for 3 years; OEH $165K pa for 3 years.

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• Consider how the SHREP/Coastal Management SEPP and Environment SEPP will impact on development of a CMP and engagement with Sydney Harbour land managers/public authorities.

Questions to the Presenters

1. Q. Why is there an estimated funding difference of 3 million and 1.5 million? A. CBAs are costly and haven’t yet been costed because they are stage 3. E.g. Technical studies for inundation are costly. 2. Q. Confirming that if councils pay to be a part of the Sydney Harbour CMP that this CMP will cover the entire LGA so that Councils do not have to prepare individual CMP’s as well? A. Councils will not need to complete addition individual CMPs. Funding can be obtained by those councils involved in the Sydney Harbour CMP.

It was noted that OEH/state government should consider covering the entire cost of the Sydney Harbour CMP if it wants to achieve whole of harbour management.

3. Discussion: CMP Process Submission

At a recent meeting with Minister Upton, SJ discussed the CMP process. The Minister asked SCCG to identify impediments and solutions to councils completing a CMP.

SJ led the discussion on the CMP submission. Key impediments were highlighted as: • Timeframes in which to complete CMP is challenging. • Regional CMPs are more complex and collaborations with multiple councils/agencies takes time • Delays in processing grant applications – does not fit with council schedules. • Lack of awareness and/or responsiveness/engagement of some state agencies. • Funding model 50:50 creates barriers for some councils. Identified that OEH should contribute more if not all funds for the development of a Sydney Harbour CMP. • Lack of policy guidance

The draft CMP submission will be forwarded to Technical Committee delegates on 4 December 2018 for comment.

4. Update on SCCG Activities and Projects

4.1 Collaboration

BA noted that the Regional Flying Fox Approach, a partnership with OEH has been completed, with maps being provided to member councils on flying-fox habitat/vegetation type for use in DCP/LEP and management strategies.

BA noted that SCCG will continue to work with AUSMAP. Following the training session for member councils on 17 October, staff from six of our councils are now trained and accredited in undertaking the AUSMAP methodology.

4.2 Capacity Building

BA noted that the ‘Adapting Priority Coastal Recreational Infrastructure project’ is near finalisation. The final report has been completed as has the case study report and factsheet which can be found on the website. The tool was presented at the NSW Coastal Conference and is receiving final adjustments before going live. Once live the tool will be on the website and sent to all councils.

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The redevelopment of the SCCG Website has been completed. A member’s login page has been created for TC delegates. Passwords will be sent to TC delegates shortly.

BA informed delegates that a ‘Coastal hazard Information Sources’ document has been developed by SCCG as an action in the Business Plan. This is a working document which provides information sources for councils on the seven hazards listed in the Coastal Management Act. This document will be forwarded with the minutes.

4.3 Advocacy

SCCG provided a submission on the Hawkesbury Marine shelf Bioregion Marine Parks Proposal, this can be found on our website. OEH are currently considering submissions and determining their approach. SJ has met with Ministers/local Members to discuss SCCG’s position on the marine parks proposal as well as to introduce the SCCG Business Plan and our priorities.

DPI is leading most initiatives in the Marine Estate Management Strategy. SCCG will continue to engage with OEH and relevant staff within DPI to ensure our involvement in initiatives within the strategy.

BA noted that DPI Fisheries has contacted SCCG regarding Member Council interest in trialling smart drum lines as a shark deterrent measure. Interested Councils to contact BA.

Other items from Agenda to be taken as read.

4.4 Research

SCCG in partnership with UNSW (and Willoughby Council as the lead Council) submitted an EOI entitled ‘Balancing the Economic and Ecological Impacts of mitigating Plastic Pollution’ to the LGNSW Research and Innovation Fund. SCCG will update delegates if we are successful with this application.

5 . Member Councils Roundtable

PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES REPORT

• Sponsorship for 20 days of bush regeneration at the Rockdale Wetland Corridor over 3 years has been provided by . To be completed by Conservation Volunteers with some airport staff involvement. • There are now over 100 bushcare volunteers across Bayside LGA. • Urban wildlife grant ‘Wild Things’ ends in December. Involved installing nest boxes, native bee hives, walks and talks and native plant giveaways. Hoping to incorporate into Councils sustainability education program in the future. • OEH and MHL have installed a water sensor at the end of the culvert in Hale Street, Botany, where high tides inundate throughout the year. Will be monitored over two years with data downloaded every six months and provided to council. It will allow cross checking the tides with impacts as it travels through the pipes. • Cahill Park – Cooks river replacement of the seawall has commenced. Staged process of 300m section – conversion to environmentally friendly design to create habitat. • Council has received a grant for beach nourishment of Ramsgate Baths. Study on management measures on the beachfront (CBA on options). Provide Bayside with information on other councils that have done beach nourishment.

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• Parramatta River Masterplan - Draft Ten Steps to a Living River: Parramatta River Masterplan launched 18 October 2018 during International River Symposium. The Masterplan was Runner for the River Prize. Three sites prioritised for activating swim sites: Putney Park, McIlwaine Park in Rhodes East and Bayview Park in Concord to open by 2025. Inner West Council is supporting investigations of a swim site at Callan Park, currently managed by OEH. • Master Planning and development of draft Plan of Management for Marrickville Parklands and Golf Course lands. Commenced in 2018, progressed well through first round of engagement. Draft Master Plans being finalised and will be presented to Council in February 2019 followed by public exhibition and further round of community engagement. This significant area of open space in the Inner West LGA has attracted significant interest. • Cooks to Cove GreenWay Masterplan adopted. Focus on implement the funded shared pedestrian and cycle path - currently detailed design and planning for construction. Implementation of the Greenway Program re ecology, culture and recreation being planned. • Sydenham to Bankstown Urban Renewal Corridor - CRC Water Sensitive Cities in partnership with Cooks River Alliance and Greater Sydney Commission working with Inner West and Canterbury-Bankstown on principles and water sensitive city exemplars applicable for urban renewal corridors and precincts. Will inform Council’s Local Environment Planning Statement. • Bushcare Forum on framework for LGA-wide Bushcare / natural areas planning and management, applying National Standards. • Aquatic Master plans; Dawn Fraser Baths – completed and adopted; Leichhardt Park Aquatic Centre – Draft Master Plan completed. • Public Domain Master Plans; Inner West Council Public Domain Study to start this financial year; Parramatta Road Urban Amenity Improvement Program master plan underway. Expected to be completed by March 2019. Detail design and Construction Documentation to be finalised by first quarter 2020. Construction estimated to be finished by end of 2021. • Dulwich Hill Station Precinct Public Domain Master Plan – plans updated due to change in station design, intended to go to December Council meeting. • A foundation working with SIMS putting up tiles to encourage growth of the Sydney Rock Oyster. • Cooks River Alliance, Inner West Council, and Canterbury-Bankstown Council are developing Water Sensitive City Principles on a precinct basis to inform local strategic planning statement. • Sub catchment plans for green infrastructure- water sensitive design have been developed for Kendrick Park. • The Coastal Environment Centre (CEC) is now a regional hub for AUSMAP and Council have two AUSMAP kits for community and school use. • The CEC is running microplastic programs with local high schools. • A Seabird rescue workshop was run at Council for local wildlife rescuers and community. • Council presented at the NSW Principles conference on school sustainability and is also running a local school’s teacher personal development day around linking sustainability to the curriculum and focusing on climate change. • Council & IPWEA won the Keep Australia Beautiful Response to Climate Change Award. Here’s a link to the IPWEA media release: IPWEA’s PN 12.1 wins Keep Australia Beautiful NSW award. The complimentary e-Book available to NSW local government staff can now be access on their E-learning portal. See IPWEA Practice Note 12.1: Climate Change Impacts on the Useful Life of Infrastructure. • A Dunes Condition Technical Report was recently undertaken by a consultant, Cardno to assess all Northern Beaches dunes. The report “Northern Beaches Dunes Condition and Vegetation Assessment” was presented as a paper to the recent NSW Coastal Conference, held in Merimbula. The assessment will inform management priorities for future regeneration works. • Council continued to work with the Department of Industry and residents to enable coastal protection works on Crown land at Collaroy-Narrabeen Beach to be approved. Council has received a funding offer for $5,505,000 under the

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2017/18 Coastal and Estuary Implementation Program from NSW State Government to assist with delivery of public and private protection works. • A large sediment removal project in Burnt Bridge Creek, and various creek revegetation projects at Frog Hollow Reserve, Avalon and Manly Vale were completed. • 158 habitat tiles have been installed on several seawalls in the LGA in partnership with SIMS and Volvo. Most if not all of the tiles will be in place for at least 20 years. SIMS will conduct monitoring to quantify the benefits. Educational signage has been installed to help engage the community in the project. • Two Council staff completed micro plastics training through AUSMAP. • Council’s historic Coal Loader Platform won the prestigious Parks and Leisure Australia’s Park of the Year and Community Facility of the Year Award on 16 October. • The ‘Spring Sounds’ event was held on the Coal Loader Platform on Nov 3. This relaxed music festival with multiple stages and a pop-up bar attracted over 3,500 visitors to the site. • Next Coal Loader Artisans Market will be held on Sunday Nov 25, 9am – 3pm. • A new program called Futureproofing Apartments was launched at the Tesla Showroom on 8/11/18 with over 100 attendees commenced. The program aims to stimulate upgrades related to energy & water efficiency, renewable heat and electricity, and electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The focus will be on, but not limited to, strata common areas, and the overall goal is to reduce operational costs and GHG emissions of strata. • Two new businesses joined up to the CitySwitch Program. Annual reporting has been finalised with reporting up by 10% from last year. • Council and the Better Business Partnership’s “Bye Bye Plastic, Hello BYO” supported local school girl Sophia Skarparis in a Day of Action to promote her petition of 12000+ handwritten signatures to ban plastic bags in NSW. The petition was tabled in parliament on 25 October. See byebyeplastic.org.au/ • 11 sustainability themed workshops and events were held this quarter with over 250 attending. • Assisted 2 schools to conduct a whole school waste audit with over 80 students and teachers involved. • The Bushland Management Team was joined by 31 volunteers for our 19th annual tree planting weekend to Boorowa in south-west NSW. In partnership with Boorowa Community Landcare Group and Hilltops Council, the volunteers planted just under 4,700 natives, improving habitat and addressing erosion on 8 local properties. This year’s plantings bring the total number to over 60,000 planted by North Sydney volunteers - a milestone to be celebrated during next year’s 20th anniversary of the award-winning urban-rural partnership. • In August 2018, the Bushland Management Team assisted NSW Fire and Rescue to conduct a hazard reduction / ecological burn in Balls Head Reserve, Waverton. The relatively large (by North Sydney standards) 1.8Ha burn was broken in to three parcels separated by the internal road system and provides protection to the Old Quarantine Depot, located on the foreshore of . • Harbourcare is contacting Mayors about joining the harbourcare program. (North Sydney, Mosman and Woollahra have a program). • Single-use plastics have been banned from internal operations and events. Query on what other councils had done re policies. SCCG to send Niki information. Provide Niki with Michelle Rose contact details (Woollahra Council). • Council resolved to ban single-use plastics from Council operations from July 1, and Council supported events from January 1, 2019.Staff have been working to remove single-use plastics including single-use water bottles from meetings, training rooms, staff barbeques etc. • Randwick’s annual Eco Living event in September reached the 10,000 mark. With Dr Karl from Triple J and Craig Reucassel from ABC’s War on Waste as special presenters. • Our Energy Future began its second year providing residents from 10 Council’s including Randwick with energy saving measures including solar PV for homes and businesses. The results from the first 12 months showed that Randwick’s

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residents made up around 40% of all solar PV quotations and installations across the participating Councils. • Solar My Schools, part of the 3-Council regional environmental collaboration, reached a remarkable milestone with more than 90 percent of all schools across the eastern suburbs now signed up to participate in this initiative which is helping to put solar on the rooftops of all participating schools.

• Get Rid of It Right –Illegal Dumping Prevention Campaign is underway with several beautification initiatives at our 5 hotspot streets along with a ‘My Street is Your Street’ campaign to inspire civic pride in our neighbourhood in the hopes of deterring dumping, and illegal dumping enforcement through patrols by the Sydney Regional Illegal Dumping (RID) Squad. • Unwrapping our Future- Litter Prevention Campaign is underway with communications around litter prevention targeting 5 hotspots using the EPA’s Hey Tosser resources. New bin infrastructure, signage, cleaning, and enforcement patrols are included in the program. • Recycle Right Campaign- A recycling engagement campaign for schools and problem residential flat buildings is underway that targets contamination in the recycling bins. • Council building LED lighting upgrades. Council recently ran an open tender to upgrade over 1,500 light fittings across 6 Council buildings to LED. The project involved developing a lighting inventory for all 6 sites which quantified the type and quantity of existing fittings and providing specifications for the proposed LED replacements. The tender closed on 5th November with works valued at approximately $950,000 with a payback period of 5.5 years. The project will reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 230 tonnes/year. • Street lighting control system. Council recently develop and released an RFQ to trial a street lighting control system that would enable motion and daylight sensor triggered dimming, fault detection and notification, and ongoing monitoring and reporting of energy consumption. • Working with Sydney Water to develop and implement options to fix the legacy issue of untreated sewer outfalls at Vaucluse and Diamond Bay. • Living Connection pilot program - Increasing habitat in private gardens by providing garden visits, advice and free plants. Ten gardens part of the pilot with roll out of full program Feb 2019. • Building Futures - In recent audits for our 10 participant strata buildings in Bondi Junction, 30-50% energy savings have been identified as well as opportunities to improve waste management. We are currently working with strata committees to implement identified actions. • Better Business Partnership launched BBP Bye-Bye Plastic Hello BYO (www.byebyeplastic.org.au) in July 2018. Local businesses and shoppers are encouraged to reduce single use plastic use and embrace the use of reusable items, 500 shoppers have already made pledges. • ‘Wildlife Story Book’ published with input from 400 pupils from 10 primary schools in Willoughby to highlight the importance of trees as wildlife habitat. • As part of our internal Single Use Plastic ban, Willoughby Council is trialling plastic-free dog waste bags in our park dispensers they are made from corn and are 100% biodegradable and compostable. • Solar Made Simple Workshop run in October with 100+ residents. • Blue Movie Screening in November (about plastic pollution) – 150 residents • Cooper park – stormwater impacts on the area. Requires water treatment. Plans for naturalisation. • Council has made a funding application for the ‘Five Million Trees Program’. • Rose Bay water quality: sand has been migrating – potentially due to the increase in ferry activity and wave magnitude. Sand movement has exposed the drain/outlet and caused ponding in front – which people are now swimming in. • Dewatering permits are to include stormwater. Page 9 of 10

6. General Business

BA presented findings from Annual Survey 2017-18. It was noted that there were 15 responses across seven Member Councils. Majority of respondents believe we are performing well, with advocacy still being identified as the most valuable activity. The survey is also being presented to Councillors at the Full Group AGM. A copy of the Annual Survey Report will be available in the members area of the website.

An update was provided on the implementation of the Business Plan. • An information document on hazard tools/information is being provided to Technical Committee delegates • A meeting was held with NSW Department of Planning and Environment in early November on actions in the business plan including incorporating water sensitive urban design into councils DCP’s. • SCCG held a meeting with Sydney Water regarding working collaboratively to achieve actions in the SCCG business plan and the Sydney Water Environment Strategy. Sydney Water has committed to meeting with SCCG quarterly with the first meeting to be held in March 2019. • An initial review of plastics policies/strategies and programs has been undertaken. BA noted that she had attended a Stakeholder Workshop on the EPA Marine debris education campaign being implemented under the Marine Estate Management Strategy.

Other items as per the Agenda to be taken as read.

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Meeting closed at 1pm, followed by SCCG’s Technical Committee Christmas Lunch at Thai by the Beach, Brighton Le Sands.

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