Scott Ryan (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The coalition government is committed to a system of marine reserves based on sound science and genuine consultation with communities and businesses. The Labor-Greens previous government bungled the creation of new marine reserves in 2012. They trampled over sustainable maritime communities to achieve a political outcome. They rushed consultation and shut marine communities out of the process. We will strike a sensible balance which protects the environment, supports a sustainable fishing industry, attracts tourism and provides cultural, recreational and economic benefits for coastal communities. The government has already undertaken genuine consultation with local communities, including more than 260 regional public meetings all over the country between February and August last year and received over 13,000 written submissions. The government is considering the findings and recommendations from the review and we will release the review reports soon.