The Core Objectives as recognised in the NSESD are:

• To enhance individual and community well-being and welfare by following a path of economic development that safeguards the welfare of future generations;

• To provide for equity within and between generations; and

• To protect biological diversity and maintain essential ecological processes and life-support systems.

The Guiding Principles of the NSESD are:

• Decision making processes should effectively integrate both long and short-term economic, environmental, social and equity considerations;

• Where there are threats of serious or irreversible environmental damage, lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as a reason for postponing measures to prevent environmental degradation (the “precautionary principle”);

• The global dimension of environmental impacts of actions and policies should be recognised and considered;

• The need to develop a strong, growing and diversified economy which can enhance the capacity for environmental protection should be recognised;

• The need to maintain and enhance international competitiveness in an environmentally sound manner should be recognised;

• Cost effective and flexible policy instruments should be adopted, such as improved valuation, pricing and incentive mechanisms; and

• Decisions and actions should provide for broad community involvement on issues that affect them.

Many of the Working Group recommendations will assist the conservation of marine invertebrates in an indirect, but very important way, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing pollution, and the adoption of ecologically sustainable land and water management practices. Some of the areas dealt with, such as Fisheries Ecosystem Management (Part 2, Chapter 2) and Coastal Zone Management (Part 3, Chapter 17) are of more direct relevance. The requirement to incorporate ESD principles into decision-making has been included in some Commonwealth, State and Territory legislation, such as the Commonwealth’s Fisheries Management Act 1994 and Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999.