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FEDERAL opposition leader Tony Abbott today announced the coalition would freeze the gazetting of new marine parks around the country.

Abbott made the announcement while campaigning in the central Queensland coastal city of Mackay.

Abbott said the federal government's process of planning for new parks would be put on hold, and the whole process restructured.

“Man and nature have to live together,” said Abbott.

“It's very important that we don't do anything as a government that unreasonably threatens the livelihood of fishing industries and the tourism industries upon which so much of Australia depends."

Abbott acknowledged the process of gazetting new marine parks had started under the previous Howard government, but said the process now needed more consultation built into it than existed currently under Labor.

A spokesman for Environment Minister Peter Garrett told Marine Business that Abbott and the Coalition have been caught out again making it up as they go and "disguising thought bubbles as policy."

"What Tony Abbott has done today us turn his back on a process started under the Howard Government to establish National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas," said the spokesman.

"The trick here from Mr Abbott is that he has suspended a process started under Mr Howard without saying what his alternative process will be if he were to win Government.

"The Government is committed to a process which gets the balance right to ensure the fishing industry can stay sustainable into the future while at the same time protecting our unique marine environment," he said.

"The Government is engaged in a thorough, comprehensive and ongoing program of engagement and consultation with a range of stakeholders. No decisions on marine planning will be made until that process is concluded. Mr Abbott and the Coalition are simply scaremongering and creating confusion.

"We need to maintain the overall health of our fish stocks right around Australia so the families and the industry and can keep on fishing.

The Government is already undertaking a thorough consultation process with the community designed to strike a balance between multiple use areas where fishing can continue and highly protected areas," said the spokesman.

The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) released a statement this afternoon saying it was deeply disappointed by this policy reversal.

"Australia's seas are unique, under threat and under-protected. The Coalition is calling for a more balanced approach to marine conservation, but there's nothing balanced about only protecting 5% of our marine life," said Darren Kindleysides director of AMCS.

"The Coalition's new policy is out of touch and short sighted and urgently needs to be reconsidered. Eight out of ten Australians support taking further action on marine protection. Marine sanctuaries are good for the environment and good for the economy. This fact did not escape the previous Coalition Government," he said.

Marine Business contacted Environment Minister Peter Garrett's office for a comment and is still awaiting a response.

News article courtesy of: Marine Business News