ADJOURNMENT

Ms CHANEY (Curtin) (12:58): Last week, I went to the launch of a beautiful new book called Ningaloo. The book was written by Tim Winton and illustrated by Cindy Lane, both Perth locals. The book celebrates this unique part of the world, which holds a special place in the hearts of so many Western Australians.

The event reminded me just how deeply engaged our community is when it comes to our oceans. In Curtin, people feel a profound connection to the Indian Ocean. For many of us, it shapes our lives, our environment and our identity.

Our oceans are fundamental to life in Australia. They form a crucial part of our national story and underpin much of our economy, supporting shipping, fishing, tourism, renewable energy production and more. But, despite their importance, we're not doing enough to protect their biodiversity and beauty.

Over the past three years, I've received more than 500 emails and letters from constituents worried about our lack of action on ocean conservation. So many Australians were shocked by David Attenborough's Blue Planet documentary, which exposed the reality of overfishing, bottom trawling and exploitation in the world's oceans. In international waters, beyond national jurisdictions, only one per cent of our oceans are currently protected—just one per cent—and nearly one in 10 global marine species are at risk of extinction.

That's astounding. And now, as a handful of companies and countries push to mine the deep sea, these issues are only becoming more urgent. The government has made some important commitments, but commitments are only worthwhile if they're followed by action.

There are four areas where the government must shift to action, and time is running out. These are not new policies. They're about living up to promises that have already been made.

The first area is the global oceans treaty. This treaty establishes a legal mechanism to protect areas in international waters, which make up half the Earth's surface. Without it, there's no clear way of preventing overexploitation that destroys marine life and habitats.

The great news is that, just last week, the treaty reached the milestone of 60 ratifications. This means it will officially enter into force in January. That's a huge step forward for the world's oceans.

But here's the disappointment: Australia has still not ratified it. Despite signing—committing to ratify—and co-chairing the preparatory commission and even advocating that others ratify, we are not yet on the list of countries that have followed through. If Australia wants to be seen as a leader in ocean conservation, we must do our part.

If we don't, we risk undermining both our international credibility and our regional leadership in the Indo-Pacific. I, along with other crossbench colleagues, have written to the minister, calling for urgent ratification, and I repeat that call today. Ratifying the global ocean treaty must be a priority.

The second area is ensuring that at least 30 per cent of Australia's oceans are highly protected from extraction by 2030. Australia signed up to this global target in 2022. We now have marine parks covering 52 per cent of our waters, but many of these so-called parks allow mining or commercial fishing.

In reality, only 24 per cent of Australia's oceans are highly protected, and two-thirds of those are far from mainland Australia, around remote territories and islands. We need genuine protection for 30 per cent of our oceans, with sanctuaries and no-take zones that actually safeguard biodiversity, including around our mainland coasts. The third area is protecting Scott Reef from Woodside's Browse gas project.

Last term I tabled a petition with nearly 500,000 signatures on it, calling for the protection of Scott Reef. This reef is a jewel of biodiversity, home to pygmy blue whales, endangered turtles and countless other species. If we allow Scott Reef to be sacrificed to gas expansion, our government's rhetoric on ocean conservation will ring hollow.

This is a test of genuine commitment. The fourth area is plastics and packaging reform. We know how much plastics damage our oceans and waterways.

They break down into microplastics, pollute habitats and devastate marine life. If we're serious about protecting our oceans, we cannot ignore the waste streams flowing into them. Packaging reform and plastics reduction must be a key priority for Minister Watt in the new year.

This means strong regulation to drive down single-use plastics and a transition to sustainable alternatives. I commend the government for the words it has spoken about protecting our oceans, but words need to become actions. We must ratify the treaty, protect 30 per cent of our oceans, save Scott Reef from gas expansion and reduce plastics at the source.

The oceans cannot speak for themselves; it's up to us.