GBRMPA has produced a range of guidance materials to underpin its

ANAO Report No.3 2015–16 Regulation of Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Permits and Approvals 53

3.4 The ANAO examined GBRMPA’s assessment processes and the

preparation of permit application assessment reports for consideration by the delegate. 62 Mandatory and discretionary considerations

3.5 The GBRMP Regulations outline six common mandatory considerations

that must be considered by the delegate when making a decision to grant or refuse all Marine Park permits, as well as mandatory considerations for permit applications that involve particular activities, such as ‘the take of protected species’. 63 In addition, the Regulations outline 11 discretionary considerations that the delegate may take into account when making a decision. Mandatory considerations

3.6 The permit assessment templates used by GBRMPA contain broad

assessments against each of the six common mandatory considerations that are relevant to the respective permit type. The matters considered by GBRMPA when assessing each mandatory consideration are outlined in Table 3.1 on the following page.

3.7 Overall, GBRMPA’s assessments of permit applications contained

information that sufficiently addressed each of the common mandatory considerations. While 88 of the 93 template-based assessments 94.6 per cent examined by the ANAO satisfactorily assessed all common mandatory considerations, five assessments did not contain evidence to demonstrate that all common mandatory considerations had been fully addressed including in relation to exceeding limits imposed by assessment templates and addressing risks unique to particular applications. 62 The ANAO selected a sample of 79 permits from a population of 786 GBRMP permits assessed during the period July 2012 to June 2014—10 per cent of the population—was broadly selected in proportion with 12 key parameters of the population, including: the assessment officer; and the permits’ risk level, status and permission type. The 79 permit applications involved 100 separate permission assessments as some applicants sought multiple permissions under a single application. 63 Protected species in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park include, among others: any species that is a listed threatened species, a listed migratory species or a listed marine species under the EPBC Act; any species of marine mammal, bird or reptile prescribed as endangered, vulnerable, near-threatened or least concern under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 Qld. Dugongs, turtles and some shark species are examples of protected species.