Victoria’s coasts and marine waters are precious and iconic, but they are under threat from plastic pollution, unchecked development and climate change.
Our coasts and oceans need protection now, to ensure they are here for the future.
Victoria’s beaches and oceans are special, and Victorians love to visit them. But because of poor planning, confusion about who manages what, climate change and overdevelopment, our coasts and marine areas are under threat.
As much as 80 per cent of the marine life found in Victorian waters is found nowhere else in the world, but our unique marine environment is being destroyed by plastic pollution, invasive pests, offshore gas exploration and climate change.
Unlike the major parties, the Greens have a plan to protect our iconic beaches and oceans for the threatened plants and animals that live in them, for regional communities who depend on them, and for current and future Victorians.
The Greens’ plan is to:
- Create and resource a comprehensive Marine and Coastal Authority, to provide coordinated oversight for coastal and marine protection in Victoria.
- Create a continuous coastal reserve by buying key missing land to protect coastal habitat.
- Create the Moolap coastal park, to protect the area's unique ecology and provide green space for Geelong's growing population.
- Start the process to identify priority marine habitat and create new marine reserves where they're needed most.
- Ban racehorse training on public beaches, especially in Belfast Coastal Reserve.
- Rebuild fish habitat and numbers by building and restoring oyster reefs in Victorian waters.