Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

The truth hurts, Mr Deputy Speaker. Australia's fisheries are globally benchmarked and recognised as among the best managed anywhere in the world. Why then do we need to lock Australians out of our oceans? The coalition are committed to returning balance and fairness to marine conservation. This government are not. They are government by social media.

Marine protected areas are meant to protect and maintain biologically and culturally significant marine areas in Commonwealth waters. But they are locking them up to everybody. It is a shame we do not lock up some of our northern waters to the 42,000 boat people who have arrived on our shores. It was the previous coalition government that began the process of establishing marine protected areas around Australia's coastline, in line with Australia's internationally declared commitments. But this move by the government goes a step too far. It is locking up so much more of the ocean. The coalition guided the development of the south-east marine bioregional plan, which was formalised in 2006—and I know that the minister brought this point to question time today. It includes a network of 14 marine reserves, which were agreed after careful consideration and consultation—note that, Minister Burke: careful consideration and consultation, something that the minister's side of politics ought to learn from—with all stakeholders, including the recreational and commercial fishing sectors.

But the Gillard government does not have a track record of effective consultation. We heard the member for Calare say that. This consultation, back in 2006, ensured an appropriate balance was struck between protecting marine biodiversity and minimising the social and economic impact on fishers, businesses and coastal communities and achieving better outcomes. The final result was a larger area protected with less impact on industry.

I know that the minister at the table is extremely keen about regional areas, even though he was the architect of dismantling the single wheat desk, he was the architect of a bad Murray-Darling basin plan and, if this disallowance motion is not passed, he will be the architect of locking up Australia's marine reserves. But I was not aware that Canterbury City Council and the seat of Watson were actually a region. But indeed they are, because in the projects just announced in round 4 of the Regional Development Australia Fund we see that his—

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