Dear Arafura by-election candidates (cc Ministers)
The Top End has a unique coastal lifestyle worth protecting. Healthy coasts and rivers are central to our Top End way of life, our economic success and our culture.
Nowhere is this more evident than right here in the Arafura electorate. From the Tiwi Islands to Garig Gunak Barlu (Cobourg) Marine Park, and across to the Kakadu and West Arnhem coasts, the Arafura electorate is home to some of the most biodiverse coasts and seas in Australia, with outstanding cultural values and some of the best fishing spots the Top End has to offer, attracting both locals and tourists alike.
But this beautiful area, much like the rest of the Top End, is under threat from climate change impacts and pollution, and the Arafura electorate coastline is a ghost net and marine debris hotspot.
Fortunately, there are proven solutions on offer to keep our Top End coasts healthy. As a candidate for the Arafura by-election, I call on you and your Party to:
- PROTECT our Top End coasts and lifestyle by implementing the Territory’s Plan to protect our coasts - the NT Coastal and Marine Management Strategy (CMMS), starting with the priority election commitment to deliver two regional plans this term of government.
- LISTEN to Territorians by investing in the delivery of the NT Government’s 30-year Parks Masterplan to ensure it delivers more parks across land and sea, that are well funded, well managed with and by Aboriginal peoples, and underpinned by strong laws.
- KEEP our iconic rivers like the Roper River flowing.
- DELIVER the Limmen Bight Marine Park Management Plan and its key management measures, including the development of a zoning scheme.
The coast is part of what makes the Arafura electorate so special. Protection of our Top End coasts is important for me this by-election. I urge you to commit to take these four critical actions to keep our Top End coasts healthy and safeguard our culture, fishing and lifestyle.