ADJOURNMENT
Senator GROGAN (South Australia—Deputy Government Whip in the Senate) (16:00): I rise to speak on one of the most amazing natural wonders of our nation, the Great Australian Bight. For the Mirning people, the native title holders across the Nullarbor Plain and the Great Australian Bight, the bight is a living country that helps tell the story of Jeedara, the great white whale who came from the Milky Way and shaped the coastline.
If you stop and look at that coastline, you can see that outline so clearly. The whales remain like family to the Mirning people, and their annual return is a reunion and a celebration. People come from all over to see this great spectacle.
The deep understanding of the connections of sea, land, people and living creatures reminds us that caring for the ocean is not a task for one season or one term of government. It is an ongoing obligation that is passed down through generations. Beneath the surface, the Great Australian Bight hosts one of the richest temperate marine environments anywhere in the world.
It has a broad continental shelf, deep canyons and rich nutrient waters that support extraordinary marine life. The bight is central to the identity and the life of South Australians. For our coastal community that runs from our Far West Coast across the Eyre Peninsula, the ocean supports livelihoods.
It supports culture, connection through our essential fishing industry, aquaculture, tourism and hospitality, the small businesses that thrive through there and the deeply important research that is undertaken in that area. It draws visitors from all over the country and all over the world. It is a vital and spectacular place.
The communities across that region understand how important it is that those oceans are kept healthy, because that healthy ocean is what underpins our economies through that coastal region. It also underpins the future of the people and the industries along there. As I say, our fishing industry is so critical to South Australia, and we are deeply well-known for having the best seafood in the world.
So, while our marine parks are being reviewed, as was announced by Minister Watt some weeks ago, now is the time for us to come together and have our say. Now is the time for people to step up and talk about what we think those marine parks that run across the bottom of South Australia and up towards WA should look like. That region would really benefit from more protection.
It's something that I and my colleague Andrew McLachlan, as co-chairs of the Friends of World Heritage for the Nullarbor and Great Australian Bight, have been talking about and working towards for some time. The idea of having a World Heritage listing is one that we're both very committed to. But this is an opportunity now to look at this amazing place and at the amazing creatures and the amazing communities that live there and thrive there.
It's time to look at what we can do to further protect the ocean and further protect that whole region. This marine park review is exactly the opportunity that we need to be looking at. The consultations are going to close at the end of September, so get on board.
If you've got the opportunity, put in a submission. We know that Surfers for Climate are going to get on board. They've also been working towards the idea of World Heritage listing, but this is a great opportunity.
So, Josh Kirkman from Surfers for Climate, we'll be looking for your submission. The Great Australian Bight has so much meaning. It is such an important region.
Our '30 by 30' protection of land and sea is looking at exactly this kind of area, where we know that protecting the ocean and protecting all of those amazing creatures and the culture and the industries that thrive on them is what we need to be doing. So I encourage anyone who's got an opportunity to put in a submission. Let's not forget that World Heritage listing is something that we need to be pushing for as well to make sure that we can continue to see this area thrive.