Great Barrier Reef Ports Strategy Have your say Written submission form The Great Barrier Reef Ports Strategy presents the vision and principles guiding the Queensland Government s approach to future port development and planning in the Great Barrier Reef coastal region to 2022. The Queensland Government's aim is to ensure that port development in the region occurs in a balanced and incremental way to support economic development while maintaining the outstanding environmental value of the Great Barrier Reef. Consultation on the Great Barrier Reef Ports Strategy will inform the Queensland Ports Strategy and the actions that government undertakes with industry, port authorities, communities and other partners to optimise the future operation and function of ports in Queensland. Have your say We want to hear from you about how we can optimise Queensland s port network, provide greater certainty and deliver economic and environmental outcomes for all Queenslanders. Please complete the written submission form below and submit by: Email: Post: GBRportsstrategy@dsdip.qld.gov.au GBR Ports Strategy Project Manager Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning PO Box 15009 City East QLD 4002 The closing date for submissions is 14 December 2012. For more information and to download the Great Barrier Reef Ports Strategy visit www.dsdip.qld.gov.au/gbrportsstrategy or phone 13 QGOV (13 74 68). Personal details This part of the written submission form is optional. The Queensland Government is bound by the Information Privacy Act 2009. Please read the privacy notice at the end of this form for more information about your privacy and this consultation. Title Given name Surname Contact email Mr Daniel Gschwind policy@qtic.com.au Would you like to be contacted in the future about this project and related projects? Yes If yes, please ensure you have provided your email address above. No Contact phone number (07) 3236 1445
What is your country of residence? If Australia, what is your state or territory? Australia Queensland If Queensland, what region are you from? Far North Queensland Gulf Region North Queensland North West Queensland Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday Central Queensland Central West Queensland Wide Bay Burnett Maranoa Balonne South West Queensland South East Queensland Not sure Please specify your suburb below. Suburb Postcode QTIC supports all of Queensland s 13 Regional Tourism Organisation (RTOs), 18 industry sector associations and in excess of 3,000 regional members, operating in all sectors of the tourism industry over the entire State of Queensland. State-wide organisation Is this an individual submission or are you submitting this response on behalf of an organisation? Individual Organisation Please specify the name of the organisation below. Organisation name Queensland Tourism Industry Council What categories best describe your interests? Resources Environment Port Professional, scientific and technical services Manufacturing Construction Wholesale trade Financial services Transport and logistics Agriculture, forestry and fishery Tourism Other industries Community group Other Please specify your other interests below. Other interests
Survey questions It is recommended that you review the strategy while completing this form. Please provide responses to those questions that are relevant to you or your organisation. It is not necessary to answer every question in this survey. Environmental impacts How can we meet the demand for port capacity while minimising environmental impacts? - Port developments should be contained within existing, designated commercial port areas. - 'Existing ports' should be those ports that currently serve as significant resource shipping facilities, not any port that currently only provides limited services such as Port Alma. - Any expansion in shipping export capacity along the Great Barrier Reef coast should be based on long-term needs, rather than demand spikes or speculative projections. - For proposals where dredging has been demonstrated to be necessary, any resultant spoil should be dumped onshore or used for reclamation and that the dumping of spoil in the World Heritage Area or the Marine Park should only be permitted as an absolute last resort. - Trans-shipping of cargo in the Marine Park should not be allowed, given the proven inherent environmental risks. Social impacts What are important factors in social and cultural planning? - The Queensland coast and marine part provide a significant asset to the tourism industry. The amenity values provided, the natural beauty, unspoilt scenery, intact fauna and flora are amongst the most critical drivers in both domestic and international tourism demand. To reach the significant growth targets that the Queenland Government has set for the tourism industry, these critical assets must be protected and appropriately valued in all policy and planning decisions. - Increased shipping movements, cargo ship anchorage facilities, port development, transport infrastructure expansion, dredging and all associated activities have impacts on scenic and amenity values and are likely to affect tourism use in some areas directly. Current tourism use and future potential for tourism use must be duly considered in any planning process. Shipping management What are the opportunities for owners, charterers, terminal operators, ports and government to improve shipping management? - The implementation of a Vessel Arrival System to more effectively manage the
number of ships at anchor in the Marine Park is strongly supported. - Shipping rules and regulation must be effective and be supported by strong enforcement and appropriate penalty regimes. - Appropriate resources to deal with any shipping incident must be put in place in suitable geopraphic locations. The potential threat to the marine environment and the potential reputational impact on tourism of a significant shipping accident on or near the Great Barrier Reef are catastrophic. The below questions relate to the principles for future port development: Principle 1: Strategic use of ports to facilitate economic growth Principle 2: The right balance between economic development and environmental protection Principle 3: Maximise efficiency throughout the port system Principle 4: A whole of network approach Principle 5: Clarity and transparency in port planning. Principle 1: Strategic use of ports to facilitate economic growth How can ports better integrate activity to support and benefit stakeholders? What are the competitive strengths of each port in the Great Barrier Reef region? How can ports maximise their competitive advantages? Principle 2: The right balance between economic development and environmental protection How can environmental management at ports be improved? - GBRMPA's Dredging and Spoil Disposal Policy (2010) describes the management arrangements in place for the mitigation of environmental impacts associated with dredging and sea dumping in the Marine Park. The policy stipulates that if dredge material is contaminated above the maximum levels defined in the National Ocean Disposal Guideline for Dredged Materials 200227, it must not be disposed in the Marine Park. The policy also contains provisions for long-term management plans and monitoring, caps on annual maintenance dredge volumes, and the use of environmentally friendly dredge methods close to sensitive environments. What standards can be set for cumulative environmental impact assessment of major port development? - A cummulative assessemt process and ongoing monitoring system is critical to protect the long-term interest of Queensland and its community. UNESCO in its recent Mission Report (N 154) has set out expectations for a suitable strategic assessment. These standards must be met as a minimum in the cumulative impact assessment in relation the the Great Barrier Reef. What innovative approaches to port development could be considered to limit
environmental impacts? - Economic development of ports must not just be balanced against 'environmental protection' but also against the potential economic loss to other activities, namely tourism use. - Port expansions and particularly any new port developments are likely to affect current and future tourism opportunities. To achieve the Queensland Government's tourism target of doubling visitor expenditure by 2020 requires a significant expansion of marine tourism on the Great Barrier Reef and an significant increase in the value of the experience that Queensland can provide. Substantially increased port and shipping activities and the potential development of new ports in currently intact settings will inevitably lessen Queensland's capacity to compete in the market for high value eco-tourism experiences - one the Queensland Government's identified priority markets as identified at Destination Q. - The tourism industry is particularly concerned about the proposed significant change of use and expansion at Port Alma, the Balaclava Island development and the Wongai proposal. Each of those proposals have significant environmental impacts and pose a risk to current and future tourism use. - Of specific concern is the proposed transhipping of coal. Principle 3: Maximise efficiency throughout the port system What are the best measures to benchmark port performance? How can we increase the efficiency of existing port capacity and infrastructure? What are the opportunities for regulatory reform to maximise efficiency? What are innovative, cooperative funding models for port development? What are the barriers to private sector investment in expanding port capacity and the efficient use of existing infrastructure? Principle 4: A whole of network approach What whole of network solutions could improve access to each port? How can we best plan for future infrastructure corridors? What structures or partnerships could support better integration across supply chains?
Principle 5: Clarity and transparency in port planning How can we optimise land use around strategic ports? How can we best achieve consistent and integrated master planning across unique ports? How can we learn from best practice in establishing port planning principles that meet the needs of each port? What are opportunities to improve port governance? Implementation and review What are the partnership opportunities to implement the principles in the Great Barrier Reef Ports Strategy? Do you have any further comments on the Great Barrier Reef Ports Strategy? Thank you for completing the written submission form. You may submit your form by: Email: Post: GBRportsstrategy@dsdip.qld.gov.au GBR Ports Strategy Project Manager Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning PO Box 15009 City East QLD 4002 The closing date for submissions is 14 December 2012. For more information phone 13 QGOV (13 74 68).
About your privacy The Queensland Government is bound by the Information Privacy Act 2009. The information you provide on this form will only be used for the purpose of informing the State Government's final position on port development and planning. We will not share your name or contact details with anyone without your consent. This consultation is a public process and any comments you provide may be published and/or online and may be transmitted outside of Australia. You may wish to bear this in mind when providing your comments. You are not obliged to provide comments and if you do so it is under the condition that you agree that your comments may be published including on the internet. We will not publish your name or contact details. Your comments may be moderated according to our acceptable use policy www.qld.gov.au/legal/acceptable-use Read our privacy statement for details www.qld.gov.au/legal/privacy Personal information collection notice The Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning is collecting your personal information to manage your comments on the Great Barrier Reef Ports Strategy. We may contact you to clarify aspects of your submission. The contact details you provide on this form will not be disclosed to third parties unless required and authorised by law. What if my contact details change? You can change your contact details by emailing GBRportsstrategy@dsdip.qld.gov.au. You need to provide both your old and new contact details and the name of this consultation.