Tourist related visitors – daily charges

Full-day visitors

Permittee to collect from each visitor $5.50 per day for:

• Trips of three hours or more
• Trips entering the Marine Park before 5.00 pm
• Trips leaving the Marine Park after 6.00 am
• First three days of an extended charter
• Any visitors who are on the fourth or subsequent days of an extended charter with a different operator and who then participates in your tourist operation.

Part-day visitors

Permittee to collect from each visitor $2.75 for:

• Trips less than three hours
• The first day of a trip entering the Marine Park after 5.00 pm
• The last day of a trip leaving the Marine Park before 6.00 am.

Semi-submersible and glass-bottomed boat excursions

A trip to conduct a Coral Viewing Program provides for a stand-alone activity involving an excursion for visitors to view coral and fish from a semi-submersible or glass-bottomed boat. Please note that this does not include glass-bottomed and semi-submersible excursions which are ancillary to another tourist program.

Permittee to collect from each visitor 40 cents per excursion.

If a visitor participates in more than one excursion on the same day and all the excursions are provided under the same permit, the visitor only pays for the first excursion.

• Sight-seeing flights
  

Permittee to collect from each visitor 40 cents per excursion.

If a visitor participates in more than one excursion on the same day and all the excursions are provided under the same permit, the visitor only pays for the first excursion.

Tourist related services and structures – fixed quarterly charges

Beach hire

Charges are based on the equipment listed on the permit. The permittee must pay the EMC even when there was no activity.

Non-motorised beach hire

• Less than six pieces of equipment: $12 per quarter
• 6 or more pieces of equipment: $25 per quarter.
• Dinghy hire
• A dinghy is a small open boat having no designed sleeping accommodation. It does not include half-cabin boats.
• Less than six dinghies: $50 per quarter
• Six or more dinghies: $12 per dinghy per quarter.

Motorised water sports

• If the equipment is jet boats (e.g. jet skis) designed to carry no more than 2 persons: $25 per quarter
• If the equipment includes no jet boats: $62 per quarter
• If the equipment is jet boats and other motorised equipment $87 per quarter.

Installations and tourist facilities

Pontoons

Pontoons include tourist, helicopter and swim pontoons.

• An area less than or equal to 40m²: $90 per quarter
• An area greater than 40m²: $180 per quarter.

Floating hotels

• $280 per quarter.

Underwater observatories (other than those attached to pontoons)

• $130 per quarter

Non-tourist charter passengers - daily charges

This category applies to commercial vessels available for charter operations to conduct non-tourist activities (e.g. surveys, research, commercial filmmaking and delivery of goods/crew). Passengers only pay for one day, regardless of the length of the trip.

Non-tourist charter operations - $2 per person per trip.

Non-tourist Related services and structures – fixed quarterly charges

• Vending operations
• $30 per metre of the length of the vessel per quarter.
• The general mode of operation of such vessels is for the sale of goods or services from a vessel. No visitors are carried.
  

  Marinas 

• $380 per quarter (for construction or operation).
  

  Mariculture

• $500 per quarter for the first 10 hectares plus $200 per quarter for each additional 10 hectares.
  

The charge applies to farming facilities for the culture of pearls and clams.


Land-based sewage discharge


This charge applies to land-based marine outfalls only.

•  If the sewage has received tertiary treatment: $400 per quarter.
  

Note: Sewage that has received secondary treatment may be taken to have received tertiary treatment if not more than five per cent of the annual volume of effluent generated is discharged into the Marine Park at a land-based outfall.

• If sewage has received primary and secondary treatment only: $400 per quarter plus a charge based on a cost per unit nutrient using the formula $4.00 x V x (N+P).

Where: V is the total volume of sewage, expressed in megalitres, discharged in the quarter.

N is the concentration, expressed as milligrams per litre, of all forms of nitrogen.

P is the concentration, expressed as milligrams per litre, of all forms of phosphorous.

How to submit logbooks, Charging Returns and payment

Due Dates

Payment of the EMC with the Charging Return and logbook sheets (where applicable) must be submitted quarterly to the GBRMPA. At the end of each quarter, you have the next month to collate your logbook sheets and Charging Returns and submit them and the payment to the GBRMPA.

The due dates are:

Payment options

You may make an EMC payment by BPAY, cheque, credit card, direct deposit or internet banking.

BPAY

• To pay EMC using BPAY quote the Biller Code and your Reference Number located on the front of your Charging Return.
  

Direct deposit

• Bank details for the GBRMPA may be obtained by contacting the EMC unit on (07) 4750 0700 or by email at emc@gbrmpa.gov.au
• Ensure you identify your payment by including your Reference Number in your payment description.

 Cheques

• Please make cheques payable to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.

Credit card

• To pay by credit card, contact the GBRMPA on (07) 4750 0700.
  

Please note that any bank charges incurred from credit institutions for processing transactions will be added to the final payment amount.

Mailing address to send logbook sheets, Charging Returns and payment

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
Reply Paid 1379
TOWNSVILLE QLD 4810

Fax: (07) 4772 6093

Penalties

The Regulations require all permittees to meet obligations relating to EMC. Obligations include maintaining appropriate records to determine the amount of EMC payable, providing other information when requested and lodging and submitting payment by the due dates.

• Failure to meet EMC obligations may invoke the following penalties:

1. Late payment: penalty of either $250 or 20 per cent per annum (whichever is greater) from the due date of payment
2. Failure to give information or returns: penalty $4400
3. Not keeping proper records: penalty $5500
4. Altering records to claim exemption: penalty $5500
5. Not retaining records for two years: penalty $5500
6. Not recording information in the logbook supplied or in a form approved by the GBRMPA: penalty $5500

Permits may be suspended if the permittee fails to comply with the Regulations requiring the provision of information, Charging Returns, logbooks and payments. It is illegal to operate in the
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park if your permit is suspended.

Permits may be revoked 60 days after a permit is suspended. This would mean that you no longer have a permit to operate in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

It is important to note that failure to meet EMC obligations may result in criminal proceedings as well as civil penalties. More information can be found in the Act and Regulations or by contacting the GBRMPA.

Infringement Notices

Infringement Notices may be issued by Inspectors for breaches of record keeping requirements. Breaches are dealt with by the issue of an on-the-spot fine instead of progressing the matter through the courts.

Infringement Notices may be issued for:

• Not keeping proper records: penalty $550
• Altering records to claim exemption: penalty $770
• Not retaining records for two years: penalty $550
• Not recording information in the logbook supplied or in a form approved by the GBRMPA: penalty $550

Related information

• Environmental Management Charge (EMC)
• Advertising the EMC