It’s the passion and commitment of Australians that will make marine parks work for everyone.

The Communication, Education and Awareness program is about increasing awareness and understanding of marine parks and how we manage them. We hope to engage the general public, school children and marine park users about how special our marine parks are and how we can enjoy them.

What is the program seeking to achieve?

This program seeks to increase awareness, understanding and support for marine parks

What actions will be undertaken nationally?

Actions at the national level include:

• developing a marketing and communication strategy for Australian Marine Parks to raise awareness and understanding of marine park values and the contribution marine parks make to enhancing Australia’s wellbeing
• developing online information resources to facilitate awareness of marine park values, management arrangements and visitor opportunities
• maximising the use of new technologies and partnerships (including with schools, universities, museums and non-government organisations) to inspire people of all ages to become involved in marine park management and protection
• establishing network advisory committees to ensure users and interested stakeholders have on-going input to the management of Australian Marine Parks
• developing a customer focussed approach to tracking the aspirations and concerns of stakeholders in relation to marine parks.

What actions will be undertaken regionally?

Actions at the regional level include:

• developing information on marine parks to encourage increased awareness and understanding of their values and management arrangements
• providing infrastructure in and adjacent to each Network, such as signs and marker buoys, to increase understanding of marine park values and rules, particularly at sites that are regularly visited
• establishing advisory committees / forums to support and collaborate with the Director in management
• working with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and other Commonwealth and state government agencies through their communication activities to increase understanding of our unique marine parks
• engaging closely with Norfolk Marine Park and Lord Howe Marine Park users and communities about marine parks and opportunities.

How will the program be implemented?

Parks Australia is managing the program across Australian Marine Parks to ensure we achieve the best possible outcomes and benefits for marine parks users and Australians.

In each network and the Coral Sea, the advisory committee or forum is providing advice to Parks Australia on which actions are most important, how they should be implemented, and where they should be undertaken.