Australia’s environment minister wants to ban fishers and drillers from more ocean – and avoid a culture war

The Coral Sea marine park will be one of the first to be reviewed as the Australian government fulfils its pledge to protect 30% of its oceans. Photograph: John Rumney/WWF-Australia

The federal environment minister, Murray Watt, has pledged to put an extra half a million square kilometres of Australia’s ocean out of reach of fishers and drillers in a step conservationists hope will “right the wrongs” of an Abbott-era downgrade of marine protection.

Watt confirmed last year Australia would put 30% of its ocean estate under a high level of protection that bans extractive industries as part of an international agreement to protect 30% of the planet’s oceans.