Andrew Constance, the New South Wales transport minister and member for Bega, has told recreational fishers that he has influenced the makeup of a key marine park advisory group that is drawing up the new rules for protected areas off the state’s south coast.

He has also criticised the NSW bureaucrats responsible for the marine parks and for enforcing the sanctuary zones.

An audio recording of a public meeting hosted by a Eurobodalla fishing group on 24 February – and posted to a public Facebook page – records Constance discussing his intention to scrap more sanctuary zones within the Batemans marine park.

Sanctuary zones, a critical part of NSW’s marine parks, are designed to protect sensitive environments and provide a place for fish populations to rejuvenate.

But since the marine parks and the sanctuaries, which cover about 7% of the coastal zone were declared, they have been heavily criticised by recreational fishers and are being progressively wound back by the Berejiklian government.

In the case of the Sydney marine park, the government caved on no-fishing zones before the consultation period had even finished. Another 10 sanctuaries have been rezoned in other parks. Batemans marine park is one of two areas being piloted for a new management regime. The advisory committee was set up to inform the pilot.

On the tape, Constance is recorded saying he strongly backs the recreational fishers, telling them he would expedite the process to open up more sanctuary zones ahead of the caretaker period.

“I’m going to announce more zones this afternoon in terms of allowing people back into fishing areas, which unfortunately under the statute does require two months of consultation which we can expedite and get on with,” Constance said in his opening remarks.

“But it’s really important in terms of the marine park that we’ve got the advisory committee with good people on it,” he said, referring to the Batemans Marine Park Advisory Committee, which was set up to advise on the pilot.

“That hasn’t happened by accident… I’ve been involved in it, making sure people who are our friends on that committee with the very clear intent to make sure that the pilot works well and obviously we start to get some results.

“I mean people are on it for the very reason that we want you guys – you guys have been involved since day one – in terms of getting you on there and starting to get some better balance in there.”

One member at the meeting expressed concern that Constance was making these announcements without getting the advice of the advisory committee.

Constance replied that apart from a “a little argy-bargy on the ABC”, there had been little community agitation and it was his intention to “get these changes done”. “It’s our intention to get them [the sanctuary zones] open. I mean it’s absolutely ridiculous,” he said.

“The Toll Gates [a reference to a particular sanctuary zone], I’ve had pushback from the bureaucrats over it … it’s a sandy bottom, what’s the issue?” he said.

He then referred to the “green tentacles that exist across bureaucracy where they just quietly go about enforcing things”. “I think, let’s just make this business as usual and just go and do it,” he said.

Four days later Constance announced the government would “fast-track consultation on a range of issues, including opening no-take zones such as Montague Island, Brou Lake South, Wagonga Inlet and Nangudga Lake”. He also said he was keen to see the Toll Gates opened to fishing in the future.

Asked about his comments on ABC radio, Constance insisted the advisory committee had representation from all stakeholders in the region.

“The point that I was making is that there are friends of the recreational fishermen who are on that committee and that these people are there as the voice of recreational fishers,” Constance said.

Associate Prof Chris Fulton, a marine ecologist and a member of the advisory committee, said his confidence in the committee had been eroded as a result of the minister’s remarks.

“We need to have a balanced use of the marine estate for both everyday recreational uses and a range of blue economy industries,” he said.

“That’s what these advisory committees are about. Fishers don’t mix well with divers and jet-skiers don’t mix well with fishers. That’s why we need to manage it as a common resource used by all.”

He said there were over 300 peer-reviewed scientific papers that demonstrated the value of sanctuary zones in rebuilding fish stocks and helping marine environments stay robust.

He said the sanctuary zones covered less than 10% of the coast. “The minister claimed fishers are locked out of 85% in his press release. That’s just wrong,” he said.

The Greens have called on the NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, and the minister for primary industries, Niall Blair, who is responsible for marine parks, to urgently investigate Constance’s remarks.

“The minister’s comments are either a lie to impress his fishing mates or there are questions to be asked about whether he has abused his authority in trying to influence the committee, the employment of public servants and the marine park review process,” the Greens spokesman on the marine environment, Justin Field, said.

“If there has been political interference, that may be a breach of the ministerial code of conduct and action needs to be taken,” he said.