Frequently Asked Questions
What is an Outlook Report and why do we need one?
What sort of things will be looked at?
How will it be compiled and what will be the checks and balances?
When will the report be prepared?
Will it mean changes to the Zoning Plan?
What is an Outlook Report and why do we need one?
An Outlook Report for the Great Barrier Reef was one of the key recommendations of the Review of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 – Review Panel Report 2006.
The report will take stock of a range of matters throughout the Great Barrier Reef, focusing particularly on where we are now, how we are doing and what are likely to be key issues in the future. It will be prepared by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and will be important in identifying future management needs.
The Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report will summarise the current state of the Marine Park’s ecosystems, uses and management, look at the trends and pressures and make a risk assessment of the key issues. It will draw together a long-term outlook for the ecosystem and its uses (incorporating community and industry perspectives).
There is now a legal requirement to prepare an Outlook Report every five years. The report itself will have no legislative power and will not make recommendations; rather it will aim to inform decision makers about actions that may be required.
What sort of things will be looked at?
We will be looking at all aspects of the Great Barrier Reef. Likely topics include water quality, biodiversity, cultural heritage, fisheries, tourism, recreation, shipping, traditional use, climate change and management. We plan to report at both the Great Barrier Reef-wide and regional scales, and we will look at both the way things are now and the changes that are likely in the future.
The Outlook Report will look at all the Great Barrier Reef Region plus neighbouring ecosystems where they affect the Reef (for example, relevant island, coast and catchment issues). It will have a wide scope that covers the ecosystem and the economic, social and cultural components of the region.
How will it be compiled and what will be the checks and balances?
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority will compile the Outlook Report based on the best available information, working closely with researchers, government agencies, local communities and interest groups.
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority will be relying on expert knowledge and advice during all the stages of preparing the Outlook Report.
We plan to establish Reference Groups to help make sure that the report is prepared with the best available scientific, economic and social knowledge and analysis methods.
Once a draft report is prepared it will be peer-reviewed by at least three appropriately qualified experts appointed by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority will then need to consider their comments before finalising the report.
When will the report be prepared?
The bulk of the work to gather and analyse information for the first Outlook Report will be undertaken in the 2007/08 financial year.
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority aims to complete a draft by about October 2008, ready for peer-review between November 2008 and January 2009. It is anticipated that the first Outlook Report will be finalised and ready for the Minister by May 2009.
Will it mean changes to the Zoning Plan?
The Outlook Report will be a key input into consideration of any future changes to zoning plans. However, the Australian Government has indicated that the existing Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Zoning Plan 2003 would not be amended until it has been in operation for at least seven years. That seven-year period ends in 2011.
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority plans to work closely with our Local Marine Advisory Committees, Reef Advisory Committees, interested community groups and industry sectors in developing the Outlook Report. Our aim is that the report reflects the views of the community, and recognises the differences occurring along the Great Barrier Reef coast.
There will be a variety of opportunities for community and industry members to contribute knowledge and ideas, helping us to make sure that the final outlook is the most accurate that we can achieve. There will be no formal public submission phase.
We welcome your interest. If you have information that may be useful in understanding the Marine Park and how it has changed, or ideas on the pressures it is facing and its outlook, please contact us.