Senator Bartlett to move, on the next day of sitting:

That the following matters be referred to the Environment, Communications, Information Technology and the Arts References Committee for inquiry and report by 1 December 1999:

(a) an examination of fisheries in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, including:

(i) the impacts of fisheries on the world heritage values of the Great Barrier Reef,

(ii) an assessment of whether the fisheries in the reef are ecologically sustainable,

(iii) the reforms needed to ensure ecological sustainability in fishing practices and management,

(iv) state and federal fisheries management, policies and practices,

(v) an assessment of the adequacy of legislative framework regulating fisheries,

(vi) an identification of the various commonwealth and state agencies with responsibility for managing fisheries in the reef,

(vii) an evaluation of the adequacy of management of fisheries by those agencies and whether they are discharging their responsibilities properly,

(viii) whether those agencies are properly resourced, and

(ix) the best way of achieving structural adjustment for fisheries in the reef;

(b) the adequacy of the areas of protection for biodiversity found in the World Heritage Area, with particular reference to:

(i) current zoning including green zones ('no take zones'),

(ii) the comprehensive, adequate and representative areas program,

(iii) whether those areas should be increased, and

(iv) the timeline for increasing those areas; and

(c) the potential impacts on the World Heritage Area and associated intertidal zones from all coastal oil shale mines, including:

(i) increased sediment pollution of sea grass and mangrove systems due to land clearing, construction and mining,

(ii) disturbance of acid sulphate soils,

(iii) disturbance of clay material in the marine environment,

(iv) offsite water and air pollution from the project sites,

(v) future increases in oil tanker traffic, including oil spills from accidents during transport and oil loading and transfer, and

(vi) the impact of open cut mining in the World Heritage Area and associated intertidal zones.