Mike Kelly (Eden-Monaro, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

Absolutely. I had the great pleasure of meeting with Recfishwest and the commercial fishing organisations in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Tasmania—all over this great land. We worked very hard to make sure we got the balance right in the greatest marine conservation effort in the entire world in relation to the sheer scale of the challenge we were dealing with, in addition to making sure that that complemented the sustainability of our fishing industry and took on board their concerns. There was extensive consultation. That is why we are reacting to the current situation with the Abel Tasman: we are concerned to make sure there is even further consultation and scientific analysis. Our track record on this really requires people to accept the merits of our bona fides in this respect.

To highlight that, I will talk about the fishing co-ops on my own coast, in Twofold Bay, Bermagui and just out of the electorate at Ulladulla, all of which I have visited and had extensive dealings with. When a great bloke named Rocky Lagana, who owns the Bermagui Fishermen's Co-operative, was asked about the impact and the marine bioregional planning process, he said: 'Our biggest concern is on the Far South Coast, where a lot of little fishing villages—Bermagui, Ulladulla, Eden—and the community rely on seafood and our commercial fishers to stay financial, and I think the government has brought that on board. We've talked to the government for the last two years about all this and I think they've listened to us. We are quite happy at Bermagui with the outcome that has been achieved. At the co-op at Bermagui we put in a submission from the very early days when it was announced that this was the area that they were looking at to put a marine reserve in and we've had a lot of discussion with the government about where it should go and the effect it will have on small coastal communities.' He went on to say, 'I don't think it's going to have a huge impact on Bermagui as a community', and he thought it was a good outcome for the Far South Coast.

Our rec fishers have understood that that process also can serve their situation. The rec fishing industry in my region is critically important. One of the biggest activities we have in the region is the Bermagui Blue Water Classic. It is the oldest game fishing club in Australia to conduct that activity. Last year something like 63 vessels were involved in the competition. We also have the Eden game-fishing competition. A lot of tourists come into the region to pursue their recreational activities in this respect. It is those rec fishers and commercial fishers that have been coming to me and my own region concerned about this super-trawler.

The problem we have is that, whereas we have a very good regulatory regime and the quotas that have been set are sustainable in terms of the entire national stock that exists, what we did not have the experience of in the past is a vessel of this scale, of this size, which is capable of storing more than 6,000 tonnes of fish, and the impact that such large-scale fishing would have in one particular location. This is highly relevant to my own region because this vessel would be fishing off our coast in south-east New South Wales. We do not know what the impact would be of such a large take in one particular locality.

There are a couple of very innovative and entrepreneurial fishermen at the Twofold Bay co-op by the names of Gary Warren and Stan Soroka, who have done a fantastic job in recent years of developing a consumer market for these very species, for skipjack, mackerel and redbait. Notwithstanding the fire they had in their processing plan a couple of summers ago, they really persevered with their efforts and have built up a market in this area. What impact would there be from the other species that relate to these species and that would be the target of fishing in terms of the biodiversity and sustainability of the marine environment in that area for our commercial and rec fishers?

I am not saying that it is unsustainable. What we need to know is: what is the real science? What is the conclusive answer to this? How could anybody—any Independent, any coalition member—be against acquiring more scientific knowledge about how this vessel would operate for the long term, for the future? It is the first time we have had a vessel of this type approaching our waters or seeking to fish in our waters. If we can resolve this situation with this vessel then the circumstances in the future will become clearer for any other vessel of its type or nature seeking to operate in our waters.

Obviously, the problem here is that the coalition refuse to take an evidence based approach to any kind of policy. We have seen them reject the Productivity Commission on issues such as the wheat market. We have seen them defy the advice and recommendations of the OECD, the Productivity Commission, Dr Shergold, Ross Garnaut and many authorities in relation to a market based approach to dealing with climate change. We have seen almost half of the members of the coalition defy the evidence of 97 per cent of the world's climate scientists. The coalition seems to have some kind of strange aversion to taking an evidence based approach to policy formulation.

Certainly those opposite do their very best to get out there and to obfuscate and muddy the waters about the science that is out there. Now, we have science—it is true—about the sustainability of the quotas globally that have been set for the nation in relation to this particular species. We can have some confidence about the ongoing sustainability of that species in relation to that quota. But what we do not know—what we do not have complete understanding or confidence in relation to—is the local impact. What would it do to my south-east coast fisheries to take 6,000 tonnes of redbait and skipjack mackerel from that resource?

I am also concerned about the particular techniques this vessel would use. We know there is a particular bycatch challenge with this. If you have seen the photographs of the massive trawling operation that hangs off the back of this huge factory ship you have to be seriously concerned about that. We need to know what the impact would be. It is okay that the minister had the power to attempt to move the vessel on, where evidence of bycatch was happening, but what about the related species that are not protected under the EPBC and the impact on a local setting in that respect, as well? These are the things we need answers to, and that is what this legislation seeks to do. How could anybody be opposed to seeking those answers?

We have a unique marine environment in our region off south-east New South Wales. It is an area where you have the confluence of major current systems, where it is very important to be able to monitor that to determine the effects of climate change. It is a unique marine environment. That is why the Sapphire Coast Marine Discovery Centre at Eden is doing such a wonderful job, and why we have put funding into it. It is really lifting the veil on some of the things we have not learnt about that unique environment and about the impacts of climate change. So it is very important that we know that a vessel of this kind is not going to come in like a bull in a crockery shop and, even though it is not bottom-trawling—we know the bottom will be secure in the operation of a vessel of this kind—we just do not know the impact that it would have in a region like mine, in particular.

So it is in tune with the very essence of the way this government operates to get out there, to consult, to allow our commercial and recreational fishers and people concerned about the environment to be involved in this process, because we understand these days that to have an effective industry—an industry that will be sustainable—you also have to have the social licence. And the social licence should include not just those concerned about the environmental impacts but those who will have, if you like, the downstream effects in relation to their commercial operations and in relation to the huge tourism and other related industries that are associated with our recreational fishers.

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