Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Action, Environment and Heritage) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Acting Prime Minister. Will the Acting Prime Minister confirm that the government will rely on these amendments from the member for Dobell to fix up their attack on recreational and family fishing operations?

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is a matter for the parliament.

Steve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Sustainability, Education, Water, Population and Communities. Will the minister update the House on developments since his announcement yesterday about changes to fisheries regulations under national environmental law? How do these developments impact on the FV Abel Tasman?

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Hindmarsh for his question. The member for Hindmarsh has been following the issue of the supertrawler very closely for some time and has been making representations about it in detail. Since I referred to the issue yesterday, the legislation has been introduced and is now before the parliament. It is also the case that in the course of that discussion there have been a couple of issues raised extensively as developments that need to be put out of the way straight away for the benefit of all the parliament. The first development is that there has been a claim that a document that was put out independently by AFMA two or three years ago was somehow authorised by me when I was fisheries minister. That, of course, is not the case. It never has been the case and there never has been a harvest strategy authorised by the minister. That is not how the system works.

Bob Baldwin (Paterson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You haven't excluded it.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The most ridiculous claim is that somehow this legislation is going to have a big impact on recreational fishing as well. I am not aware of a lot of recreational supertrawlers out on the ocean.

Bob Baldwin (Paterson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is not about supertrawlers. Read your own legislation, you fool!

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Paterson is warned!

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do not know that the issue is all that big. I do know that there is a series of amendments, some of which I have put in, and one of which was referred to in the question by the member for Flinders, which clarify once and for all what has always been the intention of the government.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Who is the other member?

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Dobell—and this is where concerns have been raised, including by recreational fishers in the electorates of those opposite. It is the reason the member for Dawson stood up in parliament yesterday and said that he wanted that particular vessel stopped. The amendments will be made to hone down the issue and leave no doubt that we are talking about very specific situations. If anyone wants to claim that they can just vote no and hide behind a recreational fishing argument, that argument will be gone. And people will know when they go back to their electorates, if they vote against the government's legislation, that their recreational fishers will put the issues squarely to them. They may as well be standing on the deck, hauling in the net, if they oppose this legislation.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to table the minister's harvest strategy from three years ago, calling for large-scale, factory freezer vessels.

Leave not granted.

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.