Dave Tollner (Solomon, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Would the minister update the House on recent developments to prevent illegal fishing in Australia’s northern waters?

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Alexander Downer (Mayo, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It takes someone from this side of the House to show any interest in this issue in question time. I think I am right in saying that in 10 years I have never been asked a question by the opposition on this issue. I do not think so. I will stand corrected if I am wrong, but I do not think I ever have been asked a question by the opposition on this subject. I thank the honourable member for his question. Illegal fishing has been increasing in Australia’s northern waters. Action has been taken against some 607 foreign vessels in 2005, compared to 289 in 2004. Obviously, illegal fishing in Australian waters is damaging to Australia’s fishing industry, as well as to our environmental policies and our marine environment, and it raises quarantine, immigration and security risks.

Many of the vessels, but not all of them, are from Indonesia and we are working with the Indonesians to meet this common challenge. Yesterday, while I was in Jakarta with my colleague, friend and counterpart Hassan Wirajuda, we discussed the possibility of establishing joint naval patrols between Australia and Indonesia. I think that to establish joint naval patrols—not just our own navy patrolling the area, but doing it jointly with the Indonesians—would be a very effective deterrent to illegal fishing. It would send a very strong message not just about Australia confronting Indonesia over this issue. I think it is a good way of doing it, making sure there is a shared commitment to addressing the problem. I know that the Minister for Defence is working on ways that we can implement this policy and will be working with his Indonesian counterpart as well.

This is on top of us launching a campaign in fishing communities in Indonesia to ensure that Indonesians understand that transgressing Australian waters is illegal and, importantly, brings with it penalties. We are introducing, which I think is a very important thing to do, a joint study of illegal fishing in South-East Asia—in particular, because we have concern about the catching of sharks for shark fin being a real incentive for illegal fishing—to ensure that we all understand much better than, frankly, we do at the moment the regional shark business so that we can take measures to counter what is going on on illegal vessels.

I think the government is devoting a lot of resources to this issue. We need to work closely with the Indonesians. I was yesterday very impressed by the very constructive approach that my friends and colleagues in Indonesia took to this issue, recognising that it was a shared responsibility and that the best way of dealing with it is by working together.