The opposition says the federal government needs to go back to the drawing board on its proposed network of marine parks.
The proposed marine reserves will cover 3.1 million square kilometres or one-third of Australian waters including the Coral Sea and the southwest coast of Western Australia.
The parks will limit fishing and some oil and gas exploration.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said he would back legislation to force the government to reassess the plans.
Mr Abbott said the coalition was not opposed to the idea of marine parks but disapproved of how they were created.
"The Gillard government's recent announcements regarding new, additional marine protected areas are not the result of rigorous scientific analysis that has been made publicly available or extensive industry and community consultation," he said.
The legislation, introduced by Liberal National Party MP George Christensen, requires the minister to obtain scientific advice, as well as undertake community and industry consultation before making a declaration.
The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) said the opposition was contradicting the stance it took during its previous stint in government, when it created 11 marine parks.
"The Howard government established the world's first Oceans Policy and began the process of establishing a national network of marine parks that the Gillard government is now completing," AMCS director Darren Kindleysides said.
"Unfortunately, many misleading claims have been made in recent months about the impact of a national network of marine parks and the science supporting marine reserves."
