Originally, submissions closed on August 21, however the closing date has now been extended to September 23, leading many to believe there is now no chance of the park being up and running in October as first thought.

It is expected that the final zoning plan for the park will still be signed off (following a three-month public exhibition period) and implemented well before the NSW election next March.

Manager of the Port Stephens-Great Lakes Marine Park, Max Haste said that the Marine Parks Authority was "still working on the same time frame" and the only reason for the change to the submission date was because the legal version of the marine park regulations were only recently released and it was a statutory requirement that the legal version of the draft zoning plan be on public exhibition for three months.

Copies of the draft zoning plan, along with submission forms, are available from:

z The Marine Parks Authority website www.mpa.nsw.gov.au

z The Marine Parks Office, Taylors Beach Rd, Taylors Beach,

z Tea Gardens Maritime Office on Marine Drive,

z Tea Gardens Library,

z Great Lakes Council office, Tea Gardens,

z Information Centres in Port Stephens and Great Lakes shires, and

z Selected fishing tackle outlets,

z or by telephoning the Marine Parks Office, Taylors Beach on 4916 3970.

Submissions regarding the plan may be submitted either electronically via the MPA website or via the reply-paid submission brochure included in the draft zoning plan brochure to; The Planning Officer, Locked Bag 800, Nelson Bay, NSW 2315.