Sean Edwards (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak to the Fisheries Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2012, which amends the Fisheries Management Act 1991. The fishing industry, like so many other primary industries in this country, is vital to Australia's productivity, and it is an industry that the Gillard Labor government has neglected in its time in office. Senators Joyce and Williams would no doubt know that there has been a procession of agriculture ministers in the time of the Rudd and Gillard governments—five, I believe—which is an indication of the contempt in which Labor holds this very important industry.

As a South Australian senator, the fishing industry is very near and dear to my heart, and is a vital cog in the economic livelihood of my state. Just last month I visited Port Lincoln on the west coast of South Australia, and Robe on the south-east coast, with my colleague and shadow parliamentary secretary for fisheries and forestry, Senator Richard Colbeck. Port Lincoln is a major tuna fishing area situated on the southern tip of the Eyre Peninsula, and it has a successful aquaculture industry that farms tuna, yellowtail kingfish, abalone, mussels and oysters, and houses some of the biggest research and experimental farming areas in seahorses and spiny lobsters. Robe is renowned for its extensive shark and lobster fishing, all ecosystems very well managed by industry but, sadly, treated with contempt by government.

The debate on this bill gives me the perfect opportunity to discuss how successful Port Lincoln has become and how Labor's incompetence has harmed what is a very important industry in a state now technically in recession. Not only is Port Lincoln home to Makybe Diva, the winner of three Melbourne Cups, but it also boasts TIME Magazine's Best Invention of 2009: tank-bred tuna. Cleanseas developed the technology to enable bluefin tuna to spawn in captivity, and this has meant the entire lifecycle of southern bluefin tuna can be carried out in a commercial setting. This is unprecedented, which is why it was afforded such a prestigious honour in 2009.

The tuna industry is key to Port Lincoln, and the people involved are very conscious of putting back into the region to make sure that the locals and the town thrive. In fact, at least one in seven of the fishing town's 14,000 residents is employed by the $260 million fish industry alone. Speaking with the tuna industry I have found they have great concerns about the government and its lack of understanding of how they operate. This bill is a perfect example of that lack of understanding displayed by the two ministers whose portfolios impact this important industry: namely, Senator Ludwig and Minister Burke.

This bill looks to facilitate the implementation of electronic monitoring, or e-monitoring, in Commonwealth fisheries. That in itself would be a very good initiative if it were finalised and proven. This e-monitoring will now use new stereo video technology which at this point in time is unautomated. This industry has great concerns that this initiative will cause substantial husbandry and quota management problems in the Australian industry, but they do not feel that the government is listening to them or their concerns, which is something of a hallmark of this government. It is what we in the political sphere call an 'announce and defend' style of management. Whilst we all encourage the use of new technology to improve productivity, it is imperative that we listen to the industry. The ministers should listen to their industry. When I spoke to the industry they had serious concerns that the new technology was not ready to be used because it was not fully developed.

The information collected through this e-monitoring is required by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority, a very credible government authority—AFMA as we know it—to ensure those in the industry are following the rules and regulations. In the past this information has been gathered through logbook returns, vessel monitoring systems and independent AFMA observers on the ships. These new systems have been trialled, but they are not complete. It is vital that, if we are to roll out new technologies and put new systems in place to increase efficiencies and monitoring of the fishing industry, we make sure the new systems work and they do not inhibit productivity at a practical level. That just makes sense. From the tuna industry people I spoke to the message was strong that the Gillard Labor government is proposing a new system that is not better but will cost at least double what the current system costs. That has a familiar ring, Senator Williams.