Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

We have moved this motion because we have had a long-standing amendment to the private senator's bill to ban super trawlers with a freezing capacity of over 2,000 tonnes. The Greens and many Australians right across this country—in the environment movement, in the recreational fishing industry and even in the commercial fishing industry—do not want to see large industrial floating factories in this country. They have brokered the ocean everywhere they have been around the world and now they are trying to get into Australia.

Recently, a scientific panel of independent experts found that there were significant risks even with mitigation measures in place for this type of fishing. We believe that we are taking a mature, rational and sensible approach. We have consistently been accused of being anti-science by Senator Colbeck, who incidentally has been out spruiking super trawlers at community forums—including inviting the media along to these meetings. Seafish has not publicly ruled out bringing back a super trawler. We are at risk of seeing these boats come back and we need to put in place a legislative ban, with the onus being on any new operator to overturn that ban on evidence.