Alby Schultz (Hume, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I just want to make that point about the report that has just been bought into the House by member for Lyons—the chair of the Standing Committee on Agriculture, Resources, Fisheries and Forestry—that this report is a very significant report in terms of the fishing industry in Australia. It identifies 22 recommendations. I can only hope, as deputy chair of this committee, that after the good work that has gone into this report it is not left lying on the shelf collecting dust like many reports have done in the past.

It is a classic example of a very definitive inquiry by a group of dedicated people about our fishing industry, and it illustrates the sustainable management practices of all fishers—if I can use the politically correct term rather than fishermen—around Australia, whether they be recreational fishermen or professional fishermen. Our practices are the envy of the rest of the world. There has been significant evidence taken that illustrates that we need to improve on our practices, and more importantly, we need to correlate what is happening on a state-by-state and territory-by-territory basis, so that we can continue to demonstrate to the rest of the world that we are good at sustainable yield and we are good at fishing practices.

I commend the chairman for the wonderful work that he has done and I commend the committee members for the significant individual and collective contribution that they have made to the report. I commend the report to the House.

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