Senator KNOWLES —My question is to the Leader of the Government in the Senate and the Minister for the Environment, Senator Hill. I refer the minister to the government's goal to protect Australia's unique marine biodiversity, reduce marine pollution and ensure that marine resources are used in an ecologically sustainable way. What action is the government taking to promote off-reserve conservation measures in our vast marine territory? Will the minister indicate how those actions relate to the government's coasts and clean seas program, which is a key feature of the natural heritage program?

Senator HILL (Environment) —I thank the honourable senator for that important question. It contrasts starkly with the sort of smear questions that we hear from the other side particularly from Senator Faulkner, who has not even got the decency to come in here and apologise to the Baillieu family—to apologise to those Baillieus who are alive and those Baillieus who are dead—just to demonstrate a little bit of basic decency. He might then be better credentialled to ask questions. Anyway, that is by the way.

Senator Knowles has raised the important issue of off-reserve preservation of conservation values in Australia's marine environment. It is important because it is another area that has, of course, been neglected in the past, but we now have a responsibility for one of the largest marine territories in the world, an area more than one and a half times Australia's land mass.

One of our goals has been to ensure that our marine environment is protected through a representative system of marine protected areas. Our announcement of a new reserve in the Great Australian Bight, which will be Australia's second largest reserve, is, of course, a down payment on that commitment. But we also recognise that marine parks are not the only answer in protecting marine biodiversity. Just as important will be those measures that we develop off reserve. I am therefore pleased to announce that the Commonwealth has agreed to work with the Western Australian government and the petroleum industry to develop a comprehensive conservation strategy for Commonwealth waters surrounding the Montebello Islands off Western Australia. This is a first. It is an historic development. It is an occasion when an industry organisation will work in partnership with two governments to develop such an important strategy.

At the end of the process we are confident that we will have in place measures that will protect an area of enormous conservation significance, an area that has been identified as providing habitat for a range of marine life, including humpback whales, dugong, turtles and a number of sea and shore birds. So I particularly want to take the opportunity to congratulate the petroleum industry. It is an industry that has itself identified many of these important conservation values within this region and is, as I said, an industry that is prepared to work with government to conserve those values, and for that they deserve to be commended.

I also want to take the opportunity to comment on the coasts and clean seas component of the Natural Heritage Trust. As senators will be aware, the $125 million coasts and clean seas program represents the largest financial commitment by any Commonwealth government to protect our marine and coastal environment. Through that program, we are encouraging innovative solutions to problems such as sewage and stormwater pollution, introduced marine pests, threats to marine species and ad hoc coastal development.

I want particularly to highlight the fact that applications for the 1998-99 round of community grants for the program opened last Saturday. The application period closes on 30 June, after which proposals will be assessed by community based panels before presentation to me. $8.5 million will be available in the year 1998-99 for the community component of the program, and I would encourage senators to ensure that community groups in their areas are aware of the opportunities that the program provides.

I would particularly like to encourage Labor senators, those that have disregarded the opportunity to improve Australia's natural resource base, to improve Australia's natural environment, through the opportunity to support community groups in this way. This is an opportunity for Labor senators to move off the smear path. Perhaps Senator Faulkner could make a start by apologising to the Baillieus, and then opposition senators might commence to do something constructive in this important area of marine environment.