Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities) Share this | Hansard source

The question referred to the extent to which we import seafood. It is also important to remember that, as a trading nation, we also export massive amounts of seafood. If you go through our highest value fisheries like the southern bluefin tuna fishery, we export 98 to 99 per cent of that catch. You have large amounts of export with the WA rock lobster industry as well. So to simply look at the import figures and make those sorts of assertions does not add up and shows a lack of understanding of how the Australian fisheries industries actually work. We have had similar claims about the impact by references to a large trawler that is allegedly coming into Australian waters, whereas in fact that trawler has made no application to do so at all. What we have there is the classic example of a fear campaign running off the back of one to two per cent of gross value of production.

If we had not conducted the level of consultation that we had and simply gone with initial maps then you would find a much larger impact. But, as the consultation took place around the country, we made sure that, from the initial scientific basis wherever we could shift a boundary to minimise the impact on commercial fishers but to get a similar environment impact, we made those changes—and we make no apology for doing that. Wherever it has been possible to improve the socioeconomic outcomes without in any way reducing the environmental outcomes, we have done that. We have done that with the direct opposition from those opposite, saying it should be science based and nothing else, but that is exactly the approach which has minimised the fear campaign that the member would otherwise be wanting to refer to.

What he is saying there ultimately has no foundation when you get to your one to two per cent across your oceans figure. What we have is an environmental outcome that is world leading and done in a way that respects the people who want to get in a tinnie and fish and the people who make a living from fishing. You only have to look at the direct impact on those who have made comments, such as ones within the electorate of Leichhardt who have said what they want now is certainty to have the negotiation with government and know exactly what the outcome is. Tourism gets its benefit and you get the economic decisions made using the template that was given to us when the south-east was done by the Howard government.

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