Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support the government's changes contained within the Fisheries Legislation Amendment (Representation) Bill 2017, and I will make some other comments as well that are relevant to the topic. Indigenous and recreational fishing issues are really important to people in my electorate, which covers Palmerston and Darwin, the northern capital of Australia. But in fact these issues, as the member for Petrie mentioned, are important to people Australia-wide. I've been very fortunate to enjoy fishing in the Territory, with first nations friends, and in other magical parts of Australia—and not only in the member for Petrie's electorate. Last night I caught up with my brother-in-law, who lives in the member for Franklin's electorate now, and we've thrown a line in down there in the Derwent. But previously, when he was living in north-east Arnhem Land, in the member for Lingiari's electorate, we've pulled in some barra down at East Woody Beach, and seeing first nations people fishing on their country is a special thing, a sacred thing. It is one of the many reasons we support this legislation, because it's important that there is a stronger voice for them and for recreational fishers in general. We recognise the cultural and family importance of fishing as well as the importance of protecting our marine environment and resources. It's important to rec fishers but it's obviously incredibly important to first nations peoples.

A couple of weeks ago I went fishing, again in the member for Lingiari's electorate, with some first nations friends to a beautiful place in the Top End called Bynoe Harbour. I want to put on the record my thanks to the extended Clarke family for that opportunity. We did all right. We caught a couple and we got some muddies. It was a great feed and a great experience to be out on country with them. To Indigenous Australians, fishing is a source of joy and helps forge family bonds. It also results in a great feed of fish—normally; you can have some slow days.

As the member for Petrie mentioned just a little while ago, it's for some of these reasons that we established, on the member for Hunter's suggestion, the Parliamentary Friends of Recreational Fishers group. It is a multiparty group, and one thing we've done in recent weeks, on 15 October, was to go on Gone Fishing Day. Well done to the national rec fishing body, which had a great activity down on Sydney Harbour, but for Gone Fishing Day I went fishing locally in my electorate at the mouth of Rapid Creek. I was joined by David Ciaravolo from the Amateur Fishermen's Association of the Northern Territory—he's the executive officer there—and also by my good friend Kenny Vowles, the NT government's Minister for Primary Industry and Resources. It was a great morning. We had many members of the community come down with their kids and throw in a line, and both AFANT and my office presented—and will do when I get back to my electorate—just small tokens for those families who took their kids out fishing. Through AFANT, the amateur rec fishers of my electorate and the broader Northern Territory have a voice. But this legislation is important because we make sure that that voice has a proper place in the discussion of issues around that balance of marine protections, enabling the commercial fishermen to make a living and provide fish for those who can't go fishing and get their own feed of fish; but also that enables fishing stocks to be sustainable, so that rec fishers, including first nations fishers, can continue to enjoy that pastime.

Through all these experiences that I've outlined I had the opportunity to hear Indigenous and rec fishers' concerns with the current legislative framework and processes around the management of Commonwealth fisheries. They've been unhappy with the lack of representation or genuine engagement avenues available to them. I think that is fair to say. Indigenous and rec fishers are particularly concerned with the process undertaken to allow supertrawlers to fish in Australian fisheries, due to the fact that there was no formal process by which they, rec fishers and first nations fishers, could have their say. Recreational and first nation fishers obviously deserve the opportunity for better engagement with government. Rec and first nations fishers are entitled to a genuine say in key decisions about access to and management of key fisheries.

Therefore, as I've stated, Labor is supporting this bill, because it does provide for explicit recognition of recreational and first nations fishers in Commonwealth legislation. I welcome the fact that these amendments will require the Australian Fisheries Management Authority to ensure that the interests of all fishers are taken into account in Commonwealth fisheries management decisions. I also welcome that other minor amendments in the bill allow for increased opportunities for membership of AFMA advisory bodies and extend the eligibility criteria for serving on the Australian Fisheries Management Authority Commission to include expertise in matters relating to recreational and first nations fishing.

In practice this bill will require the Australian Fisheries Management Authority to take reasonable steps to ensure it has received adequate advice on relevant recreational and first nation interests, in addition to commercial fishing and environmental interests and scientific expertise, prior to making management decisions for Commonwealth commercial fisheries. Let me be clear that, while we support these changes, Labor will ensure that the consultation and opportunities for engagement enabled by this bill actually do occur.

The member for Petrie mentioned the need to support commercial fisheries that are doing the right thing. That is very true. As I said a little while ago, Indigenous and first nations and recreational fishers are particularly concerned with the process undertaken to allow supertrawlers to fish in Australian fisheries due to the fact that there was no formal process by which they could have their say. So, owing to the potential impacts that industrial fishing processes, such as supertrawlers, can have on fish populations in the marine environment far beyond where they actually operate, it's important the Australian community, particularly Indigenous and recreational fishers, are afforded the opportunity to scrutinise the proposals.

There are many instructive examples from our region of what can happen if industrial practices are allowed to occur without adequate oversight. In Timor-Leste, a near neighbour of my electorate of Solomon, boats of Chinese fishing companies have been found with massive numbers of sharks on board. The effect that this has on the economy and wellbeing of fishers in Timor-Leste, with the economic cost and health cost of taking away that food source, is a very serious issue. This is in our region, to the north of our country. A joint operation was conducted at dawn on 9 September this year by the marine conservation group Sea Shepherd Global with the Timor-Leste National Police, which resulted in the capture of the Hong Long Fisheries Pingtan Marine Enterprises fishing fleet at anchor off the coast of Com in Timor-Leste. Com is one of the most beautiful places in the world. It is on the north-east side of the half-island of Timor-Leste. That is where that joint operation occurred. At the request of the Timorese police, Sea Shepherd's patrol vessel, Ocean Warrior, approached these foreign fishing vessels. Once those vessels were secured by the Timorese police, the Sea Shepherd crew members assisted in documenting the catch on board, confirming suspicions that the fleet were targeting sharks as opposed to engaging in broad-scale fishing.

I want to commend the Timorese national police force and the other organisations involved in the operation. In particular, I want to commend the Australian Federal Police on the capacity-building work that they do with the Timorese national police, including in areas of investigations and enforcement operations. The Timorese police force were aided by the Australian Federal Police. It is very important work for the Australian Federal Police to be doing, I'm sure members would agree. The Australian Defence Force's Defence Cooperation Program is also working very closely with the Timor-Leste Defence Force, doing great work with the navy and army over there in Timor-Leste. I commend them on that work they are doing also. Inconveniently, fish do not abide by international boundaries. This highlights the importance of acting together with our regional partners to protect fish stocks and our marine environment.

On a more local level, these examples highlight the potential impact that industrial-scale fishing practices can have on marine ecosystems well beyond the area in which the fishing occurs. We need to be acting together. Something I want to raise with my colleagues is that we need to look further into ways to ban these supertrawlers and industrial-scale fishing practices for good from the Small Pelagic Fishery. On 7 September 2015 the Senate referred the following matter to the Senate Environment and Communications References Committee for inquiry, to report by 30 April 2016:

The environmental, social and economic impacts of large-capacity fishing vessels commonly known as 'Supertrawlers' operating in Australia's Marine Jurisdiction.

Let it be noted that the reference was opposed by the Liberal and National coalition senators.

This is a problem. It's a problem in this country and not only for amateur recreational fishes. It's not just a problem for first nations fishers. It is a problem for commercial fishers. One of the committee's recommendations was that the Australian government ban all factory freezer mid-water trawlers from operating in the Commonwealth Small Pelagic Fishery. The coalition—those opposite—rejected that recommendation. Labor, having listened to ongoing concerns from the community and across the country, proposed this inquiry in August 2015 to examine the environmental, social and economic impacts of large capacity factory trawlers in Australia's marine jurisdiction, and in government Labor ensured appropriate consideration was given to the impact of large capacity factory trawlers on Australia's fisheries by amending the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Our amendment guaranteed Australia's waters were adequately protected from risks associated with the use of large capacity factory trawlers.

Labor remains committed to preventing the operation of large capacity factory trawlers in Australian waters unless a thorough assessment against the most up-to-date science can verify that such operations will not undermine small pelagic fisheries and recreational fishing spots. I have used the example of Timor Leste. If the Timorese allowed foreign vessels to take everything away, that would wreck a sustainable fishing industry for that developing country, which is unacceptable. I support this bill to give a greater voice to first nation and rec fishers.

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