Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Labor supports the Fisheries Legislation Amendment (Representation) Bill 2017. The purpose of the bill is to strengthen the engagement of recreational Indigenous fishers in the management of the Commonwealth fisheries and to ensure that the interests of the stakeholder groups are appropriately taken into account in the Australian government decision-making processes. Labor supports our recreational Indigenous fishers to have a voice at the decision-making table. The previous parliament and, indeed, the most recent election supported recreational Indigenous fishers having a greater say in the decision-making processes. The bill provides for explicit recognition of recreational Indigenous fishers in the Commonwealth legislation. It will require the Australian Fisheries Management Authority to ensure that the interests of all fishers are taken into account in Commonwealth fisheries management decisions. Other minor amendments will allow the bill to increase opportunities for membership of the authority's advisory bodies and to extend the eligible criteria for serving on the authority's commission to include expertise in matters relating to recreational Indigenous fishing. The bill also inserts an additional objective that will require the authority, their ministers and joint authorities to have regard to ensure that the interests of commercial and recreational Indigenous fishers are taken into account in the context of managing Commonwealth commercial fisheries.

The bill also includes the recommendation of the report of the Senate inquiry into factory freezer trawlers in the Commonwealth small pelagic fishery. As previously stated, recreational Indigenous fishers have advocated for better engagement with the government and for a genuine say when key decisions are being made about the access to and the management of key recreational fisheries. Recreational Indigenous fishers have criticised the process undertaken to allow supertrawlers to fish in Australian fisheries, due to the fact that there was no formal process by which they have had a say. On 26 November 2016, the Senate Environment and Communications References Committee tabled its report, Factory freezer trawlers in the Commonwealth small pelagic fishery, and recommended that the government expedite its 2016 election commitment to amend the Fisheries Management Act to specify that the Australian Fisheries Management Authority is required to consider the interests of all users of fisheries, including recreational Indigenous commercial fishers. This bill will require the authority to take all reasonable steps to ensure it has received adequate advice on relevant recreational Indigenous interests, in addition to commercial fishing, environmental interests and scientific expertise, prior to making management decisions on Commonwealth commercial fisheries.

For too long, recreational Indigenous fishers have not been recognised for the vital role they play in our fisheries. Their unique knowledge of our Australian fisheries is important and should not be ignored or underestimated.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank senators for their contribution to the debate on the Fisheries Legislation Amendment (Representation) Bill 2017 and commend the bill to the Senate.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.