Joint media release: Labor delivers funding to combat deadly ghost nets

The Hon Tanya Plibersek MP, Minister for the Environment and Water
Senator Nita Green, Special Envoy for the Great Barrier Reef, Senator for Queensland

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

Some ghost nets can be up to a kilometre long and weigh up to 10 tonnes—they are a floating trap for any marine animal that encounters them. 

The Albanese Labor Government is supporting communities and organisations to address this problem in northern Australia through a new $3 million grant program. 

Grants of $30,000 to $400,000 are available over two years from early 2023.

Projects are encouraged to help detect or remove ghost nets and debris from our waters and dispose of them sustainably, possibly through new technological solutions.  

This initiative builds upon years of hard work by Indigenous rangers, non-government organisations and communities in northern Australia who have been locating and removing deadly ghost nets and marine debris from our coastlines. These groups have removed nearly 15,000 ghost nets from the Gulf of Carpentaria over a 15 year period.

The program is part of a broader $14.8 million Ghost Nets Initiative to help protect our unique marine habitats and wildlife.

Applications for the Ghost Nets Innovative Solutions grant program are open from tomorrow, 10 October to 5 December 2022.  

For more information visit the Parks Australia website or the SmartyGrants website (from 10am Monday 10 October).

Quotes attributable to Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek:

“Abandoned fishing gear has been killing marine animals on an industrial scale.

“The removal of ghost nets and marine debris can be challenging, often due to their size, strong tides and remote location.

“As detailed in the State of the Environment Report, plastics and other land-based pollution will continue to affect marine food webs and vulnerable species if not addressed. 

“I’ve said I want to see a plastic free Pacific in our lifetimes, this program will help rid our oceans of ghost nets so that we can protect our magnificent marine life for generations to come.”

Quotes attributable to Special Envoy for the Great Barrier Reef, Nita Green:

“Addressing this enormous issue for Northern Australia is a priority for the Albanese Labor Government.

“This grant program will support the health of our oceans, and the jobs of those who do this work along our northern Australian coast lines.

“I hope to see many Traditional Owner groups participate in this grants process in recognition of the vital role of First Nations communities in restoring the health of Northern Australia waterways and oceans.”