Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Hansard source

I seek leave to incorporate additional information in answer to a question asked of me on 27 October by Senator Colbeck about Australian fisheries.

Leave granted.

The answer read as follows—

On 27 October 2009, Minister Carr was asked the following questions in the Senate:

1.

Can the government confirm that one of Australia’s key fisheries protection ships, the Oceanic Viking, has been unable to carry out its fisheries protection duties because it has instead been a home for unauthorised arrivals for more than nine days due to the government’s bungled border security crisis? Will the government inform the Senate whether or not the Australian Fisheries Management Authority officers assigned to the ship are able to carry out their normal duties?

2.

Will the government inform the Senate when the Oceanic Viking will be able to resume its important duties of protecting Australia’s fisheries and apprehending illegal fisherman, or has its role now been consigned to rescuing the Prime Minister’s bungled unauthorised arrivals policy?

3.

I would invite the minister to read comments coming out of the CCAMLR meeting that is being conducted in Hobart at the moment about the protection of Australia’s Southern Ocean fisheries. Is the government’s decision to assign fishery protection resources, such as the Oceanic Viking, to housing unauthorised arrivals opening up Australia’s fisheries to illegal fishing boats - allowing them to exploit our fishing stocks and putting at risk the livelihoods of Australia’s hardworking fisherman, including the tuna fishing fleet at Port Lincoln, which has been devastated by recent cuts to quota?

Answer:

1.             The Australian Border Protection Command has 17 patrol vessels and other assets to respond to threats to Australia’s border security, including foreign fishing. These patrol assets, including the Oceanic Viking, are deployed according to risk. The Oceanic Viking is currently undertaking a task approved in the May 2009 budget to conduct maritime patrols in Australia’s northern waters directed towards people smuggling activities.

2.             Details in relation to specific timings for patrols are not released in advance for operational reasons.

3.             The maritime surveillance and enforcement program for the southern oceans has been effective with no illegal foreign fishing activities being detected since June 2005. The program involves scheduling patrol deployments in coordination with those conducted by the French authorities to ensure that appropriate coverage is obtained and it is expected that this will continue into the future.