In understanding the Abbot Point case, many views need to be considered in implementation of policy regarding the dredging. Taking on the position of a government environmental agency, my gut reaction was that we would be in opposition. As an environmental agency, shouldn’t we not want anything to do with dredging and dumping wastes onto the Great Barrier Reef? Seemed simple to me.
This being said, upon our research into the issue I found that we were severely misguided. As a government agency, their main incentive is to represent a viewpoint that will not only reflect their goals but also be accepted by other shareholders. In this case, the government agencies will not want to strictly oppose the policy because they will lose a lot of their support. Instead, they will want to approve the policy while still implementing certain actions that will be beneficial to the environment as well. This in mind, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA), the main environmental agency involved with overseeing this policy, proposed a set of strict environmental regulations by which the dredging could take place. This serves as a sort of compromise; allowing the stakeholders who favor the dredging activity to get what they want while still meeting the needs of the environment. This, I came to understand, is how many environmental policies are understood and implemented.
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