CANBERRA, Tuesday 31 March 2026 — Greenpeace Australia Pacific has welcomed the Parliament's ratification of the Global Ocean Treaty, creating the opportunity for world-first high seas ocean sanctuaries.
Environment Minister Murray Watt today announced the treaty, the most significant global nature protection agreement in a decade, will be ratified by the Australian parliament. The bill has now passed the Senate and House of Representatives with support from the major parties, clearing the final hurdle towards ratification.
David Ritter, CEO at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said: "Ratifying the Global Ocean Treaty is genuinely historic. At a time of unprecedented pressure from destructive industrial fishing, severe climate impacts, plastic pollution and mining, Australia has chosen to join the global effort to protect our magnificent oceans."
Australia was one of the first countries to sign its intent to ratify the treaty in 2023, and we have a long and distinguished history of leadership on global ocean protection. Under the new treaty Australia has the necessary legal tools to drive the creation of high seas ocean sanctuaries.
"The Global Ocean Treaty is the most significant global nature agreement for many years, and has the power to protect the world's high seas and safeguard precious and endangered wildlife," Ritter added.
"With the Treaty now in force, Australia has an important opportunity to drive the creation of ocean sanctuaries on the high seas that are fully protected, no-take zones, which will allow wildlife populations to recover and thrive.
"We thrill at the whales and albatross, and all of the animals of the deep wild oceans, great and small–and now the world has the legal ability to protect them by creating high seas sanctuaries; massive parks at sea where nature can thrive.
"We are an island nation of ocean lovers, and all Australians are entitled to expect that our government will take this incredible new opportunity to protect the ocean."
Greenpeace is calling on the Australian government to build on our national legacy by ensuring that this landmark agreement delivers lasting protection for our precious oceans.
"We're calling on Minister Watt to create five high seas sanctuaries in our region, starting with a large ocean sanctuary in the Tasman Sea, between Australia and Aotearoa-New Zealand."
Currently, less than 1 per cent of the global ocean is highly or fully protected. Closing the High Seas protection gap from under 1 per cent to 30 per cent in four years, to meet the globally-agreed 30×30 target, will require governments to protect ocean areas larger than entire continents and to do so faster than any conservation effort in history. Australia will now have a seat at the table for the very first Oceans COP, due before February 2027, where nations will discuss the design and implementation of the treaty.
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