Bob Baldwin (Paterson, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I rise to talk about tourism in my electorate. The main area of tourism is from Port Stephens to Forster and comes under mid-North Coast tourism, which was voted No. 1 in domestic tourism, having had an injection of $1.65 billion being spent by visitors to that region. In the area of Port Stephens, tourism injects some $300 million a year into our local economy and employs over 4,000 people directly, including casual and seasonal workers. That equates to some two million visitors, broken into one-day visitors and visitors—over one million of them—who stay longer than one night. I have those facts and figures from Bob Westbury, the Chair of Port Stephens Tourism.

So perhaps you can understand my concern when I see that the state government has just announced a marine national park that will stretch from Forster to Anna Bay. Twenty thousand hectares—20.6 per cent—of the 97,500-hectare area will be put into an area where fishing will be banned. This is not a commercial fishing ban; this is a recreational fishing ban. One of the key tourism markets in my region is recreational fishing. As I look at the plan that has been laid down, I see that, of the areas that have been protected, 70 per cent are the most fish-producing areas available. What I am saying is that the areas they have given for fishing are vast areas of low production. We can see what will happen. The next survey of the areas allowed to be fished will say, ‘Fish stocks are depleted; we’d better increase the no-fishing zones.’

We talk about crime and about family breakdowns, but one of the greatest saviours of that is when mum or dad sit down with their kids, throw a fishing line in the water, spend some time together having a good time and communicate with each other. This is a direct impost on that.

But here is where the hypocrisy flies. In the Tilligerry Peninsula there is a sewage leak which has shut down the $14 million oyster industry in my region. There are 470 homes with septic tanks leaching faecal content into the water. This is a prime, pristine national park area that the state government have ordained, yet they are not putting in one cent to help clean up the Tilligerry Creek, which would allow oyster farmers clean, clear water for oyster farming—as you would know from your own electorate, Mr Deputy Speaker Causley. What I say to the state government is: you have rushed this through with a small group to deliver the votes of doctors’ wives on the North Shore and in the Western Suburbs of Sydney to prop up your ailing campaign for re-election to state government. (Time expired)