South-east Marine Parks Advisory Committee Meeting #2 Communique 31 October 2019, Melbourne

Member attendance Committee Meeting Overview Hilary Schofield (Chair)

Emma Woodcock The second meeting of the South-east Marine Hank Horton Parks Advisory Committee (SEMPAC) was Johnathon Davey held in Melbourne on Thursday 31 October Marg O’Toole 2019. Michael Burgess

Shannon Hurley The Chair provided an Acknowledgment of Tony Koslow Country, paying respect to the Traditional Owners of the land on which the meeting was Observers held. Parks

Key agenda items for the meeting included: reminders of South-east Network zoning and the South-east Network management report; regulations. An annual business agreement is a Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and in place with Police to provide Improvement (MERI) system for Australian surface patrols through priority South-east Marine Parks and a National marine parks. Communications and Marketing Strategy. A hotline is available for reporting suspicious National Offshore Petroleum Safety and or illegal activity: 1800 852 975 or Environmental Management Authority [email protected] (NOPSEMA) representative David Ball attended as an invited guest to present an Science - Recent research includes overview of NOPSEMA’s role in the bathymetry and benthic habitat mapping in authorisation process for the offshore Freycinet, Huon and Tasman Fracture Marine petroleum industry. Parks. Final mapping products from the MV Bluefin voyage in March 2019 are in South-east Network Management production. Report Future projects include analysis of An update was provided on key activities Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) since July 2018. A summary of these include: footage from Freycinet, Huon, Finders and Beagle Marine Parks and a project to Authorisations - 11 authorisations issued undertake bathymetry and substrate mapping across non-commercial research (8), for . commercial media (1) and structures and works (2). Indigenous engagement - An overview was provided of the Sea Country Culture and Compliance - 3 incidents, 3 investigations, 1 Connections school curriculum project being civil prosecution were identified or underway. jointly developed by Parks and the Four advertorials were published in the Tasmania Department of Education. Tasmania Seafood Industry news as parksaustralia.gov.au/marine

Communications, Education and A Communications and Marketing Awareness - In partnership with the Strategy for Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service new joint interpretive signage has been developed A Communications and Marketing Strategy for Freycinet and Beagle Marine Parks. This (2019 – 2023) has been prepared to guide signage includes a video display and work under the Communications, Education installation at the Freycinet National Park and Awareness program. Visitors Centre. The Strategy includes information on target Parks Protection and Management - Parks audiences, key messages and delivery Australia has completed an Australian Marine channels. The Strategy includes building Parks Environmental Incident and Emergency national awareness and recognition of Response Strategy. This document is a Australian Marine Parks. national-level strategy that outlines roles and responsibility in responding to an offshore Drawing on the regional expertise of environmental incident in marine parks. members, the Committee provided advice on how to target communications across the An Environmental Risk Assessment has been South-east Network. An update was developed for the South-east Marine Parks provided on existing website and social Network to assess the predicted risk of media plans and the Committee supported environmental incidents associated with the production of a South-east Network fact marine traffic and the offshore petroleum sheet that would be suitable for distribution by industry to individual marine parks in the Committee members at future events. Network. Next Meeting Tourism and Visitor Experience - a Tourism and Visitor Experience Strategy is The next Committee meeting will be held in under development. Hobart in early June 2020. For more information about the South-east Marine Parks Network or the Committee: A Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Improvement (MERI) system for Visit parksaustralia.gov.au/South-east Australian Marine Parks Email [email protected] Parks Australia is developing a Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Improvement (MERI) system for Australian Marine Parks to monitor the health of parks and evaluate the effectiveness of management.

Two key components of the MERI system will be a national framework that explains the overall approach, and network monitoring plans that will include outcomes and measurable indicators. MERI will inform annual reports and national State of the Environment reporting.

Committee advice will be sought during design of the MERI system, including: preliminary information on values, pressures and use; inventory and monitoring priorities; and evaluation and reporting processes.

parksaustralia.gov.au/marine