Why Moreton Bay Needs Strong National Standards for Nature

Moreton Bay is more than just a beautiful backdrop to our lives. It is a nationally and internationally significant living system, rich in cultural, natural, and social values.

As a marine park and Ramsar-listed wetland, the Bay serves as a vital refuge for migratory shorebirds, a feeding ground for turtles, and a critical home for dugongs, seagrass, mangroves, reefs, and sandbanks. It is a place of deep cultural connection, community identity, and shared responsibility.

The future of the Bay depends on decisions that recognise it not as a collection of isolated assets, but as a connected living system that supports both nature and people.

The Opportunity for Change

Right now, Australia has a pivotal opportunity to strengthen the laws that protect places like Moreton Bay. As part of reforms to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, the Australian Government is consulting on a proposed National Environmental Standard for Matters of National Environmental Significance.

While this may sound like high-level policy, its impact will be felt right here on the water and along our shores.

“Moreton Bay is a complex ecosystem of interconnected Matters of National Environmental Significance (MNES). Migratory species, threatened species and threatened ecological communities, and the ecological character of our Ramsar site are all under mounting pressure. Cumulative impacts are often poorly addressed in project-by-project decision making, and robust national environmental standards are critical if we’re to prevent further ecological decline and protect the ecological character that makes Moreton Bay globally significant” – Professor Hugh Possingham, TMBF Board of Directors

What’s at Stake?

“Matters of National Environmental Significance” aren’t abstract concepts. In Moreton Bay, these values are tangible: the shorebirds feeding on the mudflats, the dugongs grazing on seagrass, and the delicate habitats that hold the entire system together.

Strong national standards should do more than just make environmental decisions faster; they must make them better. For Moreton Bay, this means standards that:

• • • Prevent unacceptable impacts on critical habitats and species.
      
    • Assess cumulative pressures across the Bay and its catchment, rather than looking at projects in isolation.
    • Prioritize avoidance of environmental harm over the use of offsets.
    • Utilize the best available science to inform decision-making.
    • Support restoration and recovery, moving away from a model of “managed decline.”
    • Ensure transparency and public accountability in every decision.

A Future of Certainty

The pressures on Moreton Bay – sedimentation, coastal development, habitat loss, and climate change – interact in complex ways. Small, individual decisions can add up to significant, irreversible impacts.

Moreton Bay should not have to rely on community campaigns and last-minute interventions every time a major threat emerges. Clear, robust national standards set expectations early for governments, developers, and businesses alike. This provides a different kind of certainty: the certainty that our most precious natural icons will be properly protected for generations to come.

How You Can Help

This consultation is a vital chance for Moreton Bay’s science, community, and business voices to be heard.

Public consultation closes 11:59pm AEST on Friday, 29 May 2026.

• • • To have your say, visit the Federal Government’s MNES Portal for information on the draft standards, and a link to the online survey.
    • For Professionals: If you have expertise in planning, ecology, law, engineering, or coastal management, we encourage you to provide a detailed technical submission.
    • For Community Members: Write to your Federal MP and the Federal Environment Minister. Let them know you want strong National Environmental Standards that protect Moreton Bay’s wetlands and wildlife from cumulative impacts. We’ve provided some ideas that might help you draft your letter below.

The message is simple: Moreton Bay is nationally significant. Its protection must be backed by strong national standards.

Dear [MP/Minister],

I am writing to ask you to support strong National Environmental Standards as part of the EPBC Act reforms.

Moreton Bay is a Ramsar-listed wetland of international importance and supports migratory shorebirds, marine turtles, dugongs, seagrass meadows, mangroves, reefs and many other important habitats and species.

I am concerned that the new standards must be strong enough to prevent unacceptable impacts, properly assess cumulative pressures, require the best available science, prioritise avoid
ance over offsets, and support restoration and recovery.

Please ensure the final standards provide real protection for places like Moreton Bay, not just faster approval pathways.

Yours sincerely,

Mangroves at Beachmere © Didar Mankoo