Media Release: Welcome Boost for Ghost Net Initiative Must Be Matched with Global Action on Plastic Pollution
Keep Top End Coasts Healthy today welcomes the announcement of government funding totalling $25.1million over four years for an expanded Ghost Nets Initiative. This recognition reaffirms the significance of protecting our northern coasts, and the tireless work of Indigenous ranger groups and partners tackling ghost nets and marine debris.
However, the gap in funding and the uncertainty have placed significant strain on Ranger Groups. Ongoing investment must be long-term, stable and responsive to the increasing volume of nets and plastic pollution in our northern waters.
Australia's northern coastline is a hotspot for marine debris and ghost nets. Ghost nets are abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing nets. They are a silent killer in our seas. They drift, trapping turtles, dolphins, and other marine life, and then wash up on remote beaches.
Marine debris is ocean pollution originating from Australia and nearby countries that chokes and traps marine life, with tonnes washing ashore annually. In just four years, over 140 tonnes of marine debris and 800 ghost fishing nets were removed from northern coastlines under the Ghost Net Initiative.
Ghost nets and marine debris are just one part of a much larger challenge. Australia must also play its part in securing a strong Global Plastics Treaty to stop pollution at its source. If not, the scale of this problem will only continue to grow.
Keep Top End Coasts Healthy Manager Adele Pedder said: “This funding is a critical lifeline and will make a real difference on the ground to address ghost nets that continue to strangle marine life and smother beaches in Australia’s north.
The Ghost Nets Initiative isn’t just an environmental program. It supports local jobs, bolsters Indigenous ranger groups, and protects the NT’s fishing lifestyle and local tourism economies.
The increased funding to tackle ghost nets and marine debris acknowledges the growing problem and is very welcome, but these nets and plastic pollution keep washing into our waters at an increasing volume. We must also confront the source of the problem.
Australia must lead with urgency to secure a strong and binding Global Plastics Treaty to stop the flow of ocean pollution before it reaches our shores.
Picking up the pieces after the damage is done is not a long-term solution. Our oceans deserve more than rescue missions, they deserve protection.”
More information P25. Mid-year Economic and fiscal outlook 2025-26. Available at https://budget.gov.au/content/myefo/download/myefo-2025-26.pdf
Contact: Adele Pedder [email protected]