Exmouth Gulf Marine Park
Ministerial statement
Hon Matthew Swinbourn (Minister for the Environment) (10:05 am): Today I would like to inform the house of initiatives underway by the Cook Labor government to protect and conserve marine ecosystems in Western Australia. On Friday 5 September this year, the Cook Labor government announced plans for the establishment of the Exmouth Gulf marine park. The proposed marine park will be established across the entire Exmouth Gulf consistent with the recommendations of the Exmouth Gulf Taskforce, and will conserve and protect globally significant marine communities for generations to come. Exmouth Gulf is an important habitat for nursing humpback whales and their calves, dugongs, Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins, Australian humpback dolphins and four species of marine turtles. In addition, it is a global hotspot for the threatened sawfish and wedgefish, and home to at least 11 species of sea snakes. The Exmouth Gulf coast is an internationally significant area for several migratory shore bird species, and the coastline contains unique subterranean fauna found nowhere else in the world.
The government has proposed that at least 30% of the marine park be designated as no-catch sanctuary zones, providing the highest level of protection to ecologically sensitive areas. Exmouth Gulf was among the 1,500 kilometres of the Western Australian coast that experienced severe coral bleaching and mortality, and loss of seagrass, as a result of an unprecedented marine heatwave that began in late 2024 and persisted through to the middle of this year. Effective marine park management can alleviate the impact of local pressures, reducing overall stress and enhancing the ability of ecosystems to recover following climatic disturbances such as marine heatwaves. Although sea surface temperatures no longer meet the criteria for a marine heatwave, the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions and research partners will continue to assess the extent and long-term impacts of this event as part of the long-term marine park monitoring program. This is important work as it can take an extended period of time following a marine heatwave for the impact to be known, and it will provide valuable data on the resilience and recovery of ecosystems. The government also recently announced a further $5 million to expand the Healthy Oceans program, building on the previous $5 million commitment made at the 2025 state election. The new investment will fund a grant program to support local coral restoration and research into restoration approaches as the Western Australian coast recovers from the worst marine heatwave on record. The Cook Labor government is committed to protecting and restoring our land and marine environments while advancing strategies to support resilience in response to global climate change.
