- Indigenous Rangers remain in the dark over whether funding for the Ghost Nets Initiative will be continued
- Over 140 tonnes of ocean pollution and 800 ghost fishing nets removed under the Ghost Net Initiative
- Up to 14,600 turtles were caught in 8,690 ghost nets found across some of Australia's most remote coastlines like Arnhem Land and Groote Eylandt in just seven years
Ghost Nets Initiative funding must be urgently reinstated after four months of delay and uncertainty from the Albanese Government, says the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS). The funding that makes this essential work possible ended on 30 June 2025. The government has made loose commitments to extend the funding to the end of 2025, but Rangers are yet to see these funds. Meanwhile, plastic waste and ghost nets continue to wash up on our remote northern coastlines.
AMCS Plastics Campaign Manager Cip Hamilton said: "We can't abandon the people and places who've done the heavy lifting to protect our northern coasts.
"We call on the Albanese Government to stand with the over 20 First Nations, environmental and scientific groups who wrote a joint letter in June urging continued funding for this vital work. Without it, remote coasts and Ranger Groups are left to face a growing tide of plastic pollution and deadly ghost nets.
"Northern Australia is on the frontline of the global plastic pollution crisis. Places like Arnhem Land coast, Groote Elyandt and the Tiwi Islands are in the crosshairs of ocean currents that carry abandoned, lost or discarded ghost nets and other plastic pollution from here at home and overseas.
"The Ghost Nets Initiative has supported 24 Ranger groups and nine dedicated coordinators, providing a massive environmental benefit by removing more than 140,000 kg of marine debris and 800 ghost nets from Sea Country.
"The program has provided grants for Rangers and organisations to trial technologies and solutions for identifying, removing and recycling marine debris. It has been instrumental in providing remote regions with the support, employment, technology and equipment to remove harmful plastic pollution from Country.
"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 beaches.
"Previous research estimated that up to 14,600 turtles were captured in more than 8,000 ghost nets found across northern Australia in just seven years.
"Until global solutions are achieved like a strong and binding Global Plastics Treaty, the Australian Government must support the removal of ghost nets and other plastic pollution that will continue to wash up on these once-pristine coastlines."
