Tuesday 18 June 2024

Ever wondered what the weird and wonderful inhabitants of Australia’s Marine National Parks look like? Scientists are developing an easy access, high-quality catalogue of media-ready content to put a face to the unique and quirky organisms that call the deep reefs of Australia’s southern Marine Parks home.

Monday 3 June 2024

From 30 April to 2 May, more than 50 Indigenous rangers across 20 ranger groups came together in Gulkula, Northern Territory to discuss the environmental and social impact of marine debris and ghost nets in Australia’s northern beaches, coastal waters and communities.

Thursday 29 February 2024

The Director of National Parks has appointed 56 new members to the Australian Marine Park Advisory Committees (AMPACs) for the Coral Sea Marine Park and the North, North-west, South-west and Temperate East marine parks networks, for a three-year term.

Thursday 14 September 2023

A pilot study exploring recycling pathways for ghost nets in the Gulf of Carpentaria is now complete.  

Wednesday 9 August 2023

Australian Marine Park Advisory Committees (AMPACs) were established in 2019 to advise the Director of National Parks on the management of Australian Marine Parks. We are inviting expressions of interest for new membership under an updated Terms of Reference.

Friday 28 July 2023

The Australian Government has launched the fourth round of Our Marine Parks Grants program, with $8.6 million available for organisations to take an active role in supporting the management of Australia’s 3.82 million km2 network of Australian Marine Parks.

Thursday 6 July 2023

The Director of National Parks is inviting public comments on management plans for Christmas Island Marine Park and Cocos (Keeling) Islands Marine Park.

Saturday 1 July 2023

The Macquarie Island Marine Park is one of 14 marine parks under the South-east Marine Parks Network. From 1 July 2023, the marine park will be managed under transitional management arrangements until a new management plan is prepared for the South-east Parks Network.

Saturday 1 July 2023

Approvals and determinations have been issued in line with the transitional management arrangements for activities in Macquarie Island Marine Park.

Tuesday 27 June 2023

We’re seeking advisory committee members who can contribute to outcomes under one or more of our management programs.

Wednesday 7 June 2023

From 20 March 2023 to 22 May 2023, the Director of National Parks sought public comment on a proposal to expand Macquarie Island Marine Park.

Wednesday 24 May 2023

Eleven new ghost net grant projects worth over $3 million are being funded by the Australian Government to help detect, remove or dispose of marine debris in northern Australia.

Monday 20 March 2023

Parks Australia is inviting comments from the public on the notice of intent to prepare a new management plan for the South-east Marine Parks Network, as well as the proposed expansion of Macquarie Island Marine Park.

Thursday 2 March 2023

An exciting new partnership between Parks Australia and the Minderoo Foundation announced today has the potential to transform how we monitor the health of Australian Marine Parks. 

Tuesday 28 February 2023

The Director of National Parks is introducing new conditions of use for visitors to Norfolk Marine Park in a bid to improve the marine health of three popular bays.  

Monday 27 February 2023

Parks Australia is inviting comments from the commercial fishing industry on a proposed new requirement for vessel monitoring systems in Australian Marine Parks. 

Thursday 23 February 2023

A proposal to increase the size of Macquarie Island Marine Park in the Southern Ocean has been announced by the Australian Government today.

Thursday 2 February 2023

Wednesday 1 February 2023

Uncrewed marine vessels known as Bluebottles are taking to the waters of Two Rocks and Jurien Marine Parks as the latest compliance measure being trialled in Australian Marine Parks.

Tuesday 22 November 2022

Tuesday 8 November 2022

Deep-sea viperfish, goosefish, blind lobsters and headless chicken monsters – these are just some of the mysterious marine creatures that students encountered in the depths of the wild, remote Indian Ocean.

Monday 10 October 2022

Australia’s northern coastline is a hotspot for marine debris and abandoned fishing nets known as ‘ghost nets’.

Friday 7 October 2022

From around 13 to 17 October a large high tech looking ship will be visible around Cocos.

Tuesday 26 July 2022

A Parks Australia-led voyage to monitor island health in the Coral Sea Marine Park has uncovered a surprising array of marine species and recovered 10 cubic metres of marine debris.

Wednesday 23 March 2022

Seven state and Northern Territory fisheries management agencies have been offered grants to boost the use of electronic and vessel monitoring systems on commercial fishing vessels transiting or operating in Australian Marine Parks.

Thursday 23 December 2021

Parks Australia is unlocking the secrets of Tasmania’s deep with a surprise sighting of the very rare and threatened Pink Handfish (Brachiopsilus dianthus).

Monday 20 December 2021

A new $15 million program launched by the Australian Government will drive partnerships in conservation, research and restoration in Australian Marine Parks. 

Friday 10 December 2021

A needs analysis and feasibility study funded as part of the Ghost Nets Initiative is now complete.  

Tuesday 7 December 2021

Researchers have completed the aerial surveying component of a mapping project of Norfolk Island’s deep blue. 

Tuesday 26 October 2021

Norfolk Island Regional Council (NIRC) employees removed a discarded fishing net from near Crystal Pool off the coast of Norfolk Island earlier this month.

Monday 25 October 2021

The third round of the Australian Government’s Our Marine Parks Grants Program is now open.

Wednesday 13 October 2021

The Australian Government’s Electronic and Vessel Monitoring Systems Assistance Program grants round is now open.

Tuesday 5 October 2021

The Australian Government is proposing the proclamation of two new Indian Ocean Territory Marine Parks to protect ecosystems across 744,000 square kilometres around Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.

Tuesday 28 September 2021

The Traditional Owners and sea rangers of the Thamarrurr region of Australia’s Northern Territory are key partners in a collaborative project to monitor the health of sea country in the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf Marine Park.

Monday 20 September 2021

In a first of its kind for this remote marine park, scientists have completed one of the most comprehensive ‘health checks’ of Ashmore Reef’s ecosystems.

Friday 10 September 2021

Since early 2020, Parks Australia has worked with the Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS) to monitor reef health in Emily and Slaughter Bay. SIMS’ first survey, in March 2020, was timed to provide a baseline of coral health before a predicted marine heatwave and coral bleaching event.

Monday 16 August 2021

Scientists have captured unprecedented detail and imagery of the underwater landscape beneath the waves off Norfolk Island through the Norfolk Island Nearshore and Coastal Habitat Mapping project, which is funded through Parks Australia and the Australian Government’s, Our Marine Parks Grants Program.

Monday 19 July 2021

Parks Australia is funding two exciting Our Marine Parks Grants programs for habitat mapping in Norfolk Marine Park. Together, these eagerly anticipated projects will, for the first time, give us a detailed and current understanding of the underwater ecosystems surrounding Norfolk Island.

Wednesday 7 July 2021

An historic 45-day voyage to discover new species and map marine ecosystems across Australia’s Indian Ocean Territories set sail from Darwin on Wednesday 30 June. CSIRO research vessel, the RV Investigator, of which Parks Australia is a key partner will lead a team of scientists to map unexplored underwater regions to extend our knowledge of marine ecosystems.

Wednesday 12 May 2021

The Australian Government has announced plans to establish Australian Marine Parks in the Indian Ocean Territories (IOTs), around Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.

Monday 3 May 2021

The Australian Government has launched the Ghost Nets Initiative by making a $14.8 million investment in projects to directly address the challenge of ghost nets and marine debris littering northern Australian waters and beaches.

Friday 23 April 2021

The Australian Government has announced a $39.9 million investment in Australian Marine Park partnerships as part of a broader $100 million Ocean Leadership package.

Monday 11 January 2021

Part of the northern-most National Park Zone of Lord Howe Marine Park, which includes Middleton Reef, has been closed following a report of a suspected unexploded ordnance (UXO).

Friday 11 December 2020

Over twenty innovative and inspiring projects receive funding under the second round of the Our Marine Parks Grants Program.

Friday 30 October 2020

Over the last 12 years a vast dataset of seabed marine imagery has been collected by the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS)’s autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). Parks Australia is now working with researchers to unpack the secrets collected over the years and to better understand the biodiversity in Australian Marine Parks in the South-east Network.

Thursday 3 September 2020

Working collaboratively with recreational fishers in Western Australia to support marine park management.

Tuesday 1 September 2020

In July last year, we took you to the heart of the Timor Sea, tracking the adventures of an intrepid team of scientists that spent two weeks surveying the islands of Ashmore Reef Marine Park.

Thursday 13 August 2020

Last month, researchers from the University of Western Australia (UWA) took advantage of easing COVID restrictions to head out into South-west Corner Marine Park and drop some baited underwater cameras. The team were rewarded with images of hidden cities of kelps, seagrass and sponge gardens, teeming with iconic local species such as dhufish and pink snapper.

Friday 27 March 2020

The Federal Court has fined the company and skipper of a vessel caught fishing illegally within the National Park Zone at Flinders Marine Park.

Tuesday 3 March 2020

Recently, Parks Australia staff travelled out to the Coral Sea Marine Park on a joint research voyage with scientists from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and James Cook University.

Monday 24 February 2020

The Schmidt Ocean Institute research vessel Falkor has been deployed to the Bremer and Perth Canyon Marine Parks to explore some of the deepest areas of these parks for the very first time.

Friday 21 February 2020

Scientists have captured imagery of a newly discovered underwater landscape beneath the waves in Bass Strait, revealing a complex seabed of deep reefs that have been sustaining life for fish and other fauna for millennia.

Thursday 23 January 2020

The second round of Our Marine Parks Grants is now open to applications from organisations and community groups.

Thursday 19 December 2019

Watch Meriam Traditional Owners from Mer Island share stories about their connections with the reefs in the Coral Sea Marine Park and the importance of Sea Country to the community.

Tuesday 10 December 2019

Parks Australia and the Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation have taken an important step towards strengthening management of sea country in the Kimberley region with the signing of a partnership agreement.

Wednesday 16 October 2019

Suspicious or illegal activity in Australian Marine Parks can now be reported through a new hotline number – 1800 852 975.

Tuesday 13 August 2019

We’ve recently collaborated with the Worimi People, artist Melissa Lilley and New South Wales Department of Primary Industries to celebrate important cultural connections with Sea Country near Port Stephens, including Hunter Marine Park.

Tuesday 13 August 2019

A research team from CSIRO and The University of Western Australia are heading off to Ningaloo Marine Park today to take a peek at deep-water fish communities and continental shelf habitats.

Monday 24 June 2019

Around the country, six new regional Australian Marine Park advisory committees recently came together for the first time. These committees will play an important role in supporting the management of Australian Marine Parks, a network of 58 marine parks that help protect Australia’s offshore marine environment.

Friday 5 April 2019

The first round of Our Marine Parks Grants have been awarded to fund eight organisations to deliver 12 projects that will improve the long-term sustainability of fishing in ways that support the objectives of Australian Marine Parks.

Wednesday 20 March 2019

The Fishing Business Assistance Grants are now open for acceptance by eligible commercial fishers. Applications close on Tuesday 7 May 2019.

Friday 22 February 2019

Last weekend occupants of three local vessels were found to be illegally fishing inside the Cod Grounds Marine Park, nine kilometres off the coast of Laurieton. This marine park is one of 58 Australian Marine Parks managed by Parks Australia to protect Australia’s offshore marine environment.

Thursday 14 February 2019

The first round of Our Marine Parks Grants is now open to applications from invited fishing sector organisations. Applications close on Tuesday 12 March 2019.

Friday 14 December 2018

The Director has released the ‘Fishing Business Assistance Grants – Consultation Report’, which details the Director’s consideration of comments received from the fishing industry on the Fishing Business Assistance program.

Tuesday 4 December 2018

The most extensive reef survey of the Coral Sea Marine Park ever undertaken will continue this week as scientists from ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University (Coral CoE) and Parks Australia staff set sail from Gladstone, Queensland.

Tuesday 20 November 2018

Parks Australia and the Australian Institute of Marine Science have launched the Australian Marine Parks Science Atlas, an online portal showcasing the remarkable scientific discoveries being made in our marine parks.

Friday 8 June 2018

Parks Australia managers and James Cook University researchers recently returned from a voyage to the Coral Sea Marine Park to gain a better understanding of the coral reef ecosystems.