Ten years of implementing Australia’s Oceans Policy: From an integrated approach to an environmental policy focus

Abstract

The release of Australia’s Oceans Policy in 1998 was recognised in Australia and internationally as a milestone in marine resource management. The policy outlined a new, national approach for ecosystem-based ocean management. It also sought to integrate sectoral and jurisdictional interests through the establishment of new institutions and the adoption of new implementation methods (such as Regional Marine Plans). In 2003, the present writer’s review in Maritime Studies reflected on five years of policy implementation and the struggle to achieve full integration. This paper follows on from that review and analyses how, after ten years of implementation, the original focus of the policy implementation process has changed, reflecting an unfortunate lack of integration and institutional restructuring.