While acknowledging that discretionary considerations will not be

ANAO Report No.3 2015–16 Regulation of Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Permits and Approvals 61 prepared for some high-risk non-routine applications. 69 Neither template-based nor customised risks assessments were prepared for other permitted activity types, including: moorings; commercial and coral harvest fisheries; crown-of-thorns starfish programs and education programs. These activities constitute more than 8.5 per cent of all permit applications assessed by GBRMPA during the two-year period from July 2012 to June 2014. As a consequence, the delegate’s decision to grant or refuse applications for these permitted activity types is not informed by a documented assessment of the risks that the activities pose to the Marine Park. Assessment of risks to the Marine Park

3.20 In those cases where a risk assessment is prepared, the assessments

generally indicated that most high and medium-rated inherent risks could be reduced to low or medium risks due to existing controls. The existing controls related to the establishment of permit conditions and for tourism operations, the use of better practice guidance. In relation to the 56 permit applications examined by the ANAO that contained a risk assessment, GBRMPA assigned a medium, high or extreme inherent risk rating to 212 risks. GBRMPA considered that all but two risks could be reduced to medium or low after taking into account existing controls. These two remaining high risks related to a non-routine application that was refused a permit. Consideration of relevant risks

3.21 As template-based risk assessments are not generally tailored by

GBRMPA assessors to address the risks posed by each permit application, the assessments have not addressed some relevant risk considerations while risks that are not relevant to some permits have been addressed. Relevant risk considerations that were not specifically addressed by GBRMPA in relation to the 77 risk assessments examined by the ANAO involving both template-based and customised risk assessments include: • 35 permit assessments 45.5 per cent that did not consider all aspects of the potential risk of damage to, or unauthorised interference with, coral or marine life from vessels including reef strike, anchor damage, 69 Customised risk assessments were prepared for the seven non-routine applications that were examined by the ANAO.