Tim Hammond (Perth, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Consumer Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I'm delighted to rise following the member for Eden-Monaro, who not only has made a very impressive contribution to this debate but is also a most effective local member, particularly insofar as his recent role in providing an integral level of support to those affected by the bushfires that have ravaged his local community. He should also be commended in relation to that support he's provided.

As I'm sure we are all aware, this bill amends the Primary Industries Research and Development Act to allow R&D corporations—or RDCs, as I will refer to them—regulated by the act to undertake marketing functions with funds raised by voluntary contributions, such as gifts, grants or bequests. Currently, spending on marketing is limited to money raised by a statutory marketing levy. I'm delighted to say—again, in a spirit of substantive bipartisanship—that this bill will go great lengths towards ending that restriction. Mr Deputy Speaker, as I'm sure you are very well aware, Labor supports the passage of this bill subject to, of course, the amendment moved by the member for Hunter, and I must say what a tremendous job he does as well as an advocate for regional Australia and certainly regional Australia insofar as it supports the primary production industries.

Only four RDCs are governed by the Primary Industries Research and Development Act: Fisheries RDC, Cotton RDC, Grains RDC and Rural Industries RDC—and I'd like to come back to Fisheries RDC in due course. Whilst at first blush it might reasonably be said that for someone like me, as a member privileged to represent those in Western Australia who are from the inner city, the connection to primary industries appears remote, I'm pleased to say that that is not the case. Quite frankly, the importance of backing in primary industry is one which touches us all and one which has quite a connection to my own history on two levels. Firstly, I am delighted to say that from 2010 to 2013 the Fisheries RDC worked with Murdoch University, which is the university I previously attended. The work, to the tune of $300,000, was on the development of a model that would enable reliable estimation, from age and length data, of the mortality of fish species that undertake size-related, unidirectional offshore movements. That might sound a little esoteric but it really does relate back to, say, consumers in my electorate, as they regularly attend farmers markets in seeking to obtain the benefits of fresh local produce.

I would talk about the subject of the research at some length if only time would permit, because I'm really just getting started, Mr Deputy Speaker. It relates to a famous species of fish called King George whiting. King George whiting, for those who don't know, is a tremendous species of fish that really could not be more removed from, let's say—without wanting to disrespect them too much—its poorer cousins the standard whiting or the sand whiting. The King George whiting is something else for a number of reasons. Firstly, in terms of its pound-for-pound ratio, it is quite the fighting fish. Whilst I was born in Perth and moved back to live in Perth, I spent some of my childhood growing up on Kangaroo Island. For those who do not know it, Kangaroo Island is renowned as an incredibly fertile fishing ground for King George whiting. As a matter of fact, I caught my first ever fish on Kangaroo Island, and guess what fish that was?

An honourable member: A whiting?

It was a King George whiting. I still remember that day when I hauled up my first ever fish and the wonderful shimmering colour and movement of the King George whiting appeared. I don't know whether it was a sign of things to come or whether my luck quotient peaked too early, but it was not just one fish; it was a famous double-header. The double-header of two King George whiting caught from my late father's boat off the shores of Penneshaw on Kangaroo Island is something that will be forever stuck in my mind.

The reason it is important here is that the Fisheries RDC looked into research to make sure that we preserve this famous fish, the King George whiting, not just for my generation but for many generations to come. If this bill goes some way to making sure that other kids get the same benefit I did, that is delightful.

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