Australia is the world’s only island continent. We have the third largest maritime jurisdiction in the world. It stretches from the freezing waters of the Southern Ocean to the tropics in our north, and the vast Pacific and Indian oceans to our east and west. Our ocean estate is larger than our land mass. It connects us to our neighbours and the rest of the world.
The ocean is central to Australia’s cultural, environmental, economic and social wellbeing:
- Coastal land and sea Country has been an important and continuing part of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture for tens of thousands of years.
- Australia’s ocean ecosystems are some of the most biodiverse and awe-inspiring in the world.
- Australia’s coasts and ocean provide an estimated $25 billion worth of ecosystem services. These include carbon dioxide absorption, nutrient cycling and coastal protection.
- Ocean industries contribute $118.5 billion and 462,000 jobs to Australia’s economy each year, and this continues to grow rapidly.
- Most of us live near the coast and the ocean is a core part of our national identity.
Our ocean is facing many significant pressures. These include climate change, pollution, biodiversity decline and the cumulative effects of these pressures.
We are working with state, territory and local governments, First Nations people, industries, researchers, conservationists, ocean users and international partners to protect, repair and manage our ocean for a sustainable future for all Australians.
