Ms SPENCE (Yuroke) (17:10:21) — I am very pleased to rise today to speak on the Marine and Coastal Bill 2017. This bill will provide a simpler, more integrated and coordinated whole-of-government approach to planning and managing the marine and coastal environment, and it will enable the protection of the coastline and the ability to address the long-term challenges of climate change, population growth and ageing coastal structures.

Like most Victorians, I appreciate that our state’s marine and coastal environment is a special and unique place. As one of the four out of five Victorians that visits the coast at least once a year, I appreciate the significant social and cultural value that this environment, with more than 2000 kilometres of coastline and more than 10 000 square kilometres of marine waters, has to Victorians. I also appreciate the significant benefit that this provides to the Victorian community and economy through industries such as tourism and the commercial and recreational fishing sectors, which provide jobs to thousands of Victorians, particularly in regional locations. And I appreciate that traditional owners and the broader Aboriginal community have powerful and unique spiritual and ancestral bonds to Victoria’s marine and coastal environment. That is why I support this bill, which will position Victoria once again as a leader in integrated coastal zone management.

Victoria has been very fortunate that since the 1870s most of the state’s coast has been reserved for public use. The commitment to retain one of Victoria’s greatest natural assets in public ownership has been maintained to this day, with 96 per cent of our coastline currently in public ownership. But despite this very early recognition of the importance of our coastline, the first legislation dedicated to statewide coastal management did not come about until 1995 with the Coastal Management Act 1995. Since then, that act has guided the protection, conservation and sustainable use and development of the coast and has provided a strong basis for coordinated strategic planning for and management of the Victorian coast. However, if we are to meet the contemporary challenges, particularly those associated with climate change, increasing population pressures and ageing coastal infrastructure, we need to revisit the legislative framework and address these concerns.

Labor is very proud of its record in protecting and enhancing Victoria’s marine and coastal environment. This bill will further this legacy by implementing this government’s 2014 election commitment in Our Environment, Our Future to establish a new act to better manage and protect the marine and coastal environment. The bill, combined with a range of complementary non-legislative reforms, will implement this commitment and ensure that our diverse and unique marine and coastal environment remains a special place and continues to provide a wide range of benefits now and into the future.

Firstly, the bill establishes a stronger framework for marine and coastal planning and management. Eight specific, clear objectives for the planning and management of the marine and coastal environment are introduced by the bill. These are to protect and enhance the marine and coastal environment; to promote the resilience of marine and coastal ecosystems, communities and assets to climate change; to respect natural processes in planning for and managing current and future risks to people and assets from coastal hazards and climate change; to acknowledge traditional owners’ knowledge, rights and aspirations for land and sea country; to promote a diversity of experiences in the marine and coastal environment; to promote the ecologically sustainable use and development of the marine and coastal environment and its resources in appropriate areas; to improve community, user group and industry stewardship and understanding of the marine and coastal environment; and to engage with specified Aboriginal parties, the community, user groups and industry in marine and coastal planning, management and protection.

It is important to note that the introduction of objectives focused on climate change and acknowledging traditional owners’ connections to the marine and coastal environment are significant reforms that address two major gaps in the 1995 act.

The bill also improves current governance and institutional arrangements. It will do this by establishing a new statewide advisory body with an increased marine focus, by addressing the gap in advice on matters relating to coastal erosion and by simplifying regional advisory arrangements. The bill also provides for statewide, regional and local marine and coastal planning, and it provides for improvements to the protection of public values and streamlining use and development.

Another really important aspect of the bill are the provisions that go to improving our understanding of the marine and coastal environment. One of the significant gaps in the current system is the absence of data on the condition of that environment. To overcome this gap, the bill establishes an obligation to prepare a report on the baseline condition of the marine and coastal environment, and following that initial report, a state of the marine and coastal environment report will then be periodically produced to assess changes in the condition of the marine and coastal environment. That report will of course improve our knowledge of that environment, enabling its health and condition to be tracked over time, and will inform statewide, regional and local policy, planning and management.

When I was reflecting on this bill, one of the issues that was of particular relevance to me was the effect of population growth on our coastlines. The electorate of Yuroke, which I represent, is probably about as far from the beach as you could imagine. We are nowhere near the beaches, but it is an area of rapid population growth, and I am able to appreciate the effect that this has on the environment, on the existing infrastructure and indeed on the future infrastructure needs of a growing community.

Growing up, my family had a property at Surf Beach on Phillip Island. Even 20 years ago the effect of an increased population over the preceding decades was clear. When we talk about population growth in our coastal areas, this is of course twofold. There is the increase in local residents and property owners, and then there are the seasonal increases. Where we were on Phillip Island, both of these were occurring. Not only were more houses being built but older homes were being replaced by much larger homes, and with them came more people, more often.

In fact when I was reflecting on this bill I got a bit nostalgic. I hopped on the internet and did a satellite image search of our former property. I was somewhat disappointed but not entirely surprised to see that our once modest little home was no longer there. I have no doubt that it has been replaced by a much grander home. Certainly the area where it was is quite spectacular, so there is probably a much grander home that no doubt captures the views along the coast, out to the sea and across to Pyramid Rock. However, I do digress on that issue.

The increased population, both permanent and transient, means that more protection of the coastline is needed. Due to the nature of a coastal environment, that can also mean a faster turnover of infrastructure. Certainly things do not have as long a life when they are by the coast as they do in other areas.

You can see these changes in simple things. A simple example that I thought of was that when we first started going down to the island we would walk across the road and get to the beach down a fairly steep face. It became very well worn down at that beach face. Over time, with both the natural erosion and the man-made erosion from everyone tracking down there, it became very apparent that the habitat at that particular spot was getting damaged. As a result, a permanent structure was put in place, which protected the environment and provided us with terrific safe access.

I support the bill because it recognises the importance of our marine and coastal environment and it provides the means for protecting it now and into the future. I have terrific memories of growing up and being able to visit the beach. I have got great memories of spending time with my son there when he was little. We would wait until the tide went out and have a look-see what the sea had left us in the rock pools and explore those surprises. I want future generations to also make these memories. They are lifelong memories. What this act does is provide a framework where we can be sure that what we enjoy currently in our marine environment can be protected into the future. It is a major step forward in the legislation to protect our very precious coastal and marine environment. It provides for an integrated whole-of-government approach to marine and coastal planning and management at the statewide, regional and local levels. I commend the bill to the house.