Labor and the Greens' bid to sink laws changing protections for Australia's coastal waters has failed in the Senate.
The changes redraw boundaries for marine parks covering 3.3 million square hectares and the government argues the new protections are better targeted to balance conservation and fishing.
"We can decide whether we reward or reject a colossal, disgraceful attempt to reduce marine protections," Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson told parliament on Thursday.
The minor party and the opposition tried to abolish the government's changes to the regulation of 44 Australian marine parks through a disallowance motion.
Under the changes, five million recreational fishers will get greater access to Australia's marine parks.
Assistant Water Minister Anne Ruston said if the disallowance had succeeded, it would have meant there was no protections for Australia's coastal waters.
She said the marine park rules had been the result of extensive consultation, drawing on science and the needs of recreational fishers.
"They demonstrate their contempt and distrust of Australians by trying to keep them locked out of their own sovereign waters," Senator Ruston said.
Senator Whish-Wilson lashed the government for giving into the interests of big fishers over environmentalists.
Labor's Louise Pratt took aim at the Turnbull government for stripping away protections for 50 per cent of marine parks.
"There is not a government anywhere in the world on land or sea that has ever removed this much area from conservation," Senator Pratt said.
A fired-up Queensland LNP senator Ian Macdonald said the Greens were trying to sink a plan that increased the number of protected marine park sites.
"What absolute and utter humbug and hypocrisy from the Greens political party," Senator Macdonald said.
A similar disallowance was voted down in March.
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