We did it! South Australia’s sanctuaries are safe. Thank you for helping to make this happen. It has been a fantastic effort by our SA team and alliance partners, and the thousands of you who showed your support for SA’s sanctuaries.
The State Opposition’s bill to scrap some of South Australia’s best sanctuaries was voted down by the State Government and Independent Geoff Brock MP today.
This means our state network of sanctuaries will come into effect as planned on October 1, protecting our unique marine life and boosting jobs and tourism.
Marine parks around the world are proven to help protect marine life, stimulate tourist growth and their waters can also provide world-class fishing opportunities. South Australia’s new marine parks network will do the same.
Congratulations to all! This is the culmination of 15 years of work to get these new sanctuaries in place. It is also the first network in state waters anywhere in Australia that is representative of the different habitats.
Importantly, this win also sends a powerful message to the Abbott Government as they begin their ‘review’ of our national network of sanctuaries.
With more than 10 years science on our side and overwhelming public support for sanctuaries – including the majority of fishers – we’re sending a clear message that we will not tolerate any rollback of our federal sanctuaries either.