• The Prime Minister announced plans for legislation to protect salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour, while existing EPBC approvals are still under reconsideration by the Environment Minister. The announcement follows a 12 month extension for the Threatened Species Committee’s decision on the proposed uplisting of the Maugean skate.
• Countries failed to finalise a Global Plastics Treaty at talks in Busan, with high-ambition countries calling for limits on plastic production and oil-producing countries wanting a narrow focus on waste and recycling
• DCCEEW is reviewing the Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020 to identify potential reforms to better support a circular economy
• The 2024 Reef Trust Water Quality Achievements Report outlines projects reducing run-off into the Great Barrier Reef
• Dr Monique Ryan MP has introduced a Bill to prohibit new offshore special prospecting authorities (used to approve seismic testing activities)
• The Federal government has announced a 300,000 km² expansion of the Heard and McDonald Islands Marine Park. Environment groups have welcomed the expansion but noted that some important penguin and seal habitat and undersea ecosystems have been excluded from the marine park.
• The Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2024 rates the outlook for ecosystem health as ‘very poor’, and urges the government to act quickly to address the “rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a positive future”. The Outlook Report follows an earlier Scientific Consensus Statement confirming that land management practices in Reef catchments continue to impact water quality, and that these impacts exacerbate climate change impacts (which remain the biggest threat). The statement calls for more investment in research, monitoring and reporting, adopting locally-effective and collaborative solutions, and scaling up remediation actions.
• The Environment Minister has asked the Productivity Commission to conduct an inquiry into the opportunities for Australia to adopt a circular economy
• A new Recovery Plan for Southern Right Whale has been released
• The Resources Minister has granted exploration permits for a range of new offshore gas exploration (including Esso and Beach Energy in the Otway and Sorrell Basins, and Chevron, INPEX, Melbana and Woodside Energy in WA), and new permits for carbon capture and storage projects
• The Federal government has released an offshore decommissioning roadmap, following earlier concerns about Esso’s plans to leave decaying offshore oil and gas infrastructure in the Bass Strait
• UNESCO determined that the Great Barrier Reef not be included in the World Heritage ‘in danger’ list
• The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea has ruled carbon dioxide is an ocean pollutant, following a referral from nine small climate-affected countries including Vanuatu and Tuvalu
• The Federal parliamentary inquiry into plastic pollution in Australia’s oceans and waterways released its final report. The SA and Tasmanian governments have commenced a review of laws regulating single-use plastics
• Living Oceans, Neighbours of Fish Farms, éko, and the Bob Brown Foundation have lodged an ACCC complaint against Coles, Woolworths and Aldi for promoting salmon farmed in Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour as ‘responsibly farmed’

• 20 March 2025 – AEGN Ocean NGOs and funders gathering (Sydney)
• October 2025 – TSSC report on listing decision for Maugean skate

• Updating members on policy changes and advocacy opportunities
• Providing feedback to government on the review of Australia’s Strategy for Nature, draft Sustainable Ocean Plan, and new national environmental laws (see Submissions)
• Hosting an Oceans update
• Supporting members to advocate for protection of Macquarie Harbour

• Use the Nature Funding Framework to inform funding decisions
• Attend the AEGN “Ocean NGOs and funders gathering” on 20 March 2025
• Watch Southern Blast, Surfrider’s celebration of the Southern Ocean coastlines and the landscapes, marine species and local communities they support
• Work to counter disinformation regarding the impact of offshore wind developments
• Join investor advocacy campaigns calling on supermarkets not to stock unsustainably farmed salmon
• Only purchase sustainably harvested seafood
• Contact the Program Manager – Nature to discuss funding and collaboration options
  
  Current Clearinghouse projects:
  • Core funding for Divers for Climate (Divers for Climate)
  • Indigenous Kelp Stewardship (Kelp Forest Alliance)
  • Great Reef Census (Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef)
  • Save the Skate (Environment Tasmania)
  • Forever Reef Project (Great Barrier Reef Legacy)

• Salmon Farming Data Portal
• Australian Sustainable Seafood Guide
• IUCN Issues Brief – Marine Plastic Pollution
• Commonwealth Marine Reserves
• Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2024 (GBRMPA)
• Labor’s First Extinction: Maugean Skate (Richard Flanagan, The Monthly)

Organisations working on this issue 

Useful government contacts