Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I was just about to say to the member for Denison that I am well aware of concerns about this vessel, this super trawler, because they have been raised with me by Tasmanian members of the government, and raised with me very clearly. They have heard community concern about this matter, and they have relayed that community concern to me. And I understand that the member for Denison is concerned about the matter too.

I would just say to the House that the size of a fishing catch is not determined by the size of the vessel; it is determined by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority on what it believes to be the available science on sustainability of the fishing stock. Having said that, there are issues with vessel size in the sense that the bigger the vessel the more fish it can take from a localised area—and I know that is causing some concerns for the community of Tasmania.

Because we have heard those concerns, the fisheries minister, Senator Ludwig, and the parliamentary secretary, the member for Braddon—who is a Tasmanian himself—have established a special working group to facilitate discussion between the company and interested parties, including recreational fishers. The potential for that localised depletion of fish stocks is one of the areas of discussion and one of the matters under consideration because of these concerns.

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