That is the question now being asked by stakeholders after Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald refused to put a date on the process in NSW Parliament recently.

Member of the Legislative Council and duty MLC for Port Stephens, the Liberal Party's Robyn Parker attempted to shed some light on the issue by way of a Question Without Notice last Thursday.

Ms Parker asked about the timeline for the release of the final zoning plan and whether the Minister was trying to delay the park until after the election in order to decrease voter backlash.

"No. I would never delay any matter for a political purpose," Mr Macdonald said.

"It is clear that the Government has made a commitment to the Port Stephens-Great Lakes Marine Park.

"It announced the park boundaries late last year and over the past few months has been engaged in the process of settling its zoning.

"As at September 23 we had received about 4,200 submissions, many of them much longer than those received in connection with previous marine parks.

"Some of them extended to up to 100 pages, which is completely different from the submissions received concerning Cape Byron Marine Park, for which 5,000 of the 6,000 submission received were form letters.

"It will take a little while for the Marine Parks Authority to consider the issues that have been raised by the many people who have made submissions in good faith. I have to consult with colleagues, such as the Minister for Lands. It will take a little while to assess those 4,200 submissions.

"When that process is completed, the authority will propose certain boundaries within the zone that will in due course be forwarded to me and my colleague the Hon. Bob Debus. We will then consider the opinion of the Marine Parks Authority. If the Hon. Robyn Parker thinks I am going to put a date on that process, she is deluding herself."

However just days before, on September 26, the Minister had put a date of sorts on the process in a media release entitled, More than four thousand submissions received on the draft marine park zoning plan.

"The 21 member Advisory Committee, which assisted with the development of the draft zoning plan, will be presented with a final zoning plan, for comment, in October," Mr Macdonald said in the release.

Should the Liberal-National Party Coalition win power at the State Election they have promised to review the boundaries and zones of all marine parks gazetted to date.