Alex Hawke (Mitchell, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is a privilege to follow the member next to me, the member for Herbert, as I always do in this House for some odd reason. I permanently live in his shadow metaphorically and literally. Ewen Jones is an eloquent and articulate defender of the rights of fishers in Australia today. It is for that reason I rise to speak to oppose the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Declared Fishing Activities) Bill 2012, which is another example of massive government overreach from a government which is addicted to power. Nothing could be a better example than the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities trying to extend the right to prohibit fishing anywhere in Commonwealth waters for two years on the basis of what is in his mind—not on rational scientific inquiry, not on what is best for the environment or human beings, but on any social uncertainty in the minister's head. That standard is what we are asking fishers, recreational and commercial, all around this country to live by.

What does Minister Burke, in his uncertain world, think is socially acceptable? If it is unacceptable to him today to take a bluefin fish in Commonwealth waters, well, that is it—too bad! For two years we will not be able to do that. That is the kind of hideous power which we find in this bill, with the sanction of government applied to it, with penalties of up to seven years, as I understand. That is why I oppose this bad legislation.

Once again, this is an example of a government that really has no coherent policy position. The attempts in question time today by the minister to explain the position were completely and utterly embarrassing and unconvincing. We have seen, as a recent development, the member for Dobell raise a series of amendments trying to do what we have been talking about—save recreational fishers from the unfettered power of the minister, who has been dictated to by a Green agenda. But those amendments do not cover sufficiently recreational fishers and, of course, they make no mention of Australian commercial fishers. There is no mention of the rights of commercial fishers. I stand up here today for commercial fishing in Australia. One of the oldest practices of the human race is to fish to feed itself. Some evolutionary scientists say it is part of the reason we have evolved the way we have—because of our ability to eat fish.

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