Gaping hole in Ghost Nets funding
Indigenous Rangers have been waiting four months for confirmation from the Albanese Government about funding for a seven-year project pulling more than 100 tonnes of waste out of the ocean.
The Ghost Nets Initiative has successfully removed more than 140 tonnes of ocean pollution and 800 ghost fishing nets from Australian oceans but conservationists claim its funding has been halted by the federal government since June this year.
“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,” the Australian Marine Conservation Society’s Cip Hamilton said.
The initiative is a four-year, $14.8 million program developing and trialing technologies and solutions for removing marine debris along Northern Australia’s coastline.
The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) says the Ghost Nets Initiative saw a halt in funding on June 30 2025 but despite the government’s claim that current funding expires in December, rangers say they are still awaiting funds.
More than 20 First Nations, environmental and scientific groups called on the Albanese Government for support of the initiative in a joint letter in June.
You might like
Hamilton, who is AMCS Plastics Campaign Manager, said Indigenous Rangers continued to work out of pocket as plastic pollution and nets continue to build up on Australian coastlines.
“It’s really disappointing that the government hasn’t made any commitments to this essential work that these groups are doing across Northern Australia,” Hamilton said.
“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 group’s data showed that in the past seven years, 14,600 turtles were caught in 8,690 ghost nets along Arnhem Land and Groote Eylandt’s remote coastlines.
Stay informed, daily
A federal government spokesperson for Minister for Environment and Water of Australia, Murray Watt, said the Albanese Government strongly supported the work of Indigenous rangers and the Ghost Nets Initiative.
“We remain committed to combatting abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear and debris in our oceans, and additional funding has been provided to enable this work to continue while longer term funding is considered,” the federal government spokesperson said.
They said current funding for the Ghost Nets Initiative is due to expire in December 2025. Future funding of the Ghost Nets Initiative would be considered through usual budget processes.
Australia’s Ghost Net Initiative worked with Indonesia, Timor Leste and Papua New Guinea through the Arafura and Timor Seas Ecosystem Action (ATSEA) program.
The government committed $1.4 million to the program in 2024 to address the sources of ghost nets in Australian waters and on the nation’s coasts.
Work to date had included updating a situation analysis of fishing gear loss in the region and a workshop to identify possible interventions that can be adapted to each country’s circumstances.
In October 2024, the government joined the Global Ghost Gear Initiative, the world’s largest alliance committed to combatting ghost nets.
Minister Murray Watt met with Indigenous rangers who undertake ghost net removal work and expressed his support for their work while attending the Garma Festival in August.
