But critics quickly raised concerns the plan would put business interests ahead of conservation in the area, which covers two of the 16 million square kilometers of Australia's exclusive economic zone.

The initiative concerns waters off the states of Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales and South Australia as well as around Macquarie Island in the sub-Antarctic -- a marine region under pressure from urban development, shipping, fishing and oil production.

Environment Minister David Kemp hailed the draft Southeast Regional Marine Plan as a "world first" in ocean management and said it would be followed by similar initiatives for all Australia's coastal waters.

"Nowhere else in the world has ocean planning and management been attempted on such a scale and in such an integrated manner," Kemp said in a statement.

"Regional marine planning is designed to reduce future conflicts between users of the ocean and its resources, protecting ecosystems as well as providing certainty for our marine industries," he said.

The plan creates a National Oceans Ministerial Board, including the portfolios of industry, science, transport, tourism and environment.

"For the first time this integrated system of oceans management takes all uses of our oceans into account rather than the sector-by-sector approach that was used previously," Kemp said.

"This will ensure that key ecosystems are protected, providing for the sustainable development of marine industries currently valued at more than 30 billion dollars (20 billion US) a year," Kemp said.

The government said the new policy would help avoid resource management mistakes that have damaged marine environments elsewhere.

"In the northern hemisphere some of the most productive fisheries, such as the North Atlantic cod and pilchard fisheries, have virtually collapsed, resulting in the devastation of ecosystems and the economies that depend upon them," Kemp said.

But a spokeswoman for the Australian Marine Conservation Society, Kate Davey, said she feared the plan would not go far enough.

"There are concerns that economic objectives will override conservation ones," she said.

TERRA.WIRE