Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Board members
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority reports to the Minister responsible for the Environment.
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Board (referred to as the Authority Board) oversees the organisation and the current membership is listed below.
The Chairperson and the Chief Executive Officer are board members. They are chosen by the Federal Minister for the Environment and are appointed by the Governor General.
The Chief Executive Officer is the only full time member of the Board. Note the Chief Executive Officer is not subject to direction by the Authority Board in relation to the Chief Executive Officer’s performance of functions, or exercise of powers under the:
- Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (PGPA Act); or
- Public Services Act 1999 (PS Act).
The Board meets a minimum of four times per year, however it can meet as many times as is required.
The Board Charter, sets out the functions, roles and responsibilities of the Authority, taking into consideration relevant legislation and management practices within an operational setting.
Responsibilities
Under new governance arrangements that began in October 2018, the Chief Executive Officer is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and is the Accountable Authority and Agency Head for the purposes of the PGPA Act and PS Act respectively.
The Authority Board, led by the Chairperson, is responsible for the management of the Marine Park under the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975. This includes:
- Developing plans and policies to allow for a range of ecologically sustainable uses
- Encouraging the engagement of users in the management of the Reef
- Assisting Australia in meeting its international obligations in relation to the World Heritage Convention.
The Board may delegate its powers to enable agency staff to make decisions about operational matters that give effect to the board’s policies and guidelines (e.g. permit decisions).
However, the Board doesn’t make decisions on how the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority spends its budget. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s budget and expenditure is the responsibility of the Chief Executive Officer as the Accountable Authority.
Qualifications and experience
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 requires board members have qualifications and extensive experience in a field related to the functions of the Authority. It also requires:
- One board member be nominated by the Queensland Government
- One member be Indigenous with knowledge of Indigenous issues in the Marine Park
- One member have tourism industry expertise.
Marine Park Authority Decisions
A summary is provided after each Authority Board meeting.
Each summary will have regard for any privacy requirements, and include decisions that are required to be made public under the Australian Government's Information Publication Scheme (IPS).
Professor Emma Johnston AO FTSE FRSN is Dean of Science and Professor of Marine Ecology and Ecotoxicology at UNSW Sydney. Professor Johnston studies the impacts of human activities in marine ecosystems and how we can build ecological resilience. Her research is conducted in diverse field environments; from Antarctica, to the Great Barrier Reef, and temperate Australian estuaries.
