Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

They talk about bringing in a national curriculum and forward funding, but it is not going to happen until at least 2025 under that mob.

We heard the member for Hughes talk about the fact that 70 per cent of the fish that we eat comes from overseas. He also told us that China fish 11 million tonnes of marine catch every year from international waters; Indonesia, nearly 3½ million tonnes; and Thailand, close to 2½ million tonnes. How much does Australia fish? It is less than 200,000 tonnes. That is a telling statistic.

The Australian Fisheries Management Authority manages fisheries in real time and has the powers to take immediate action if and when required. Commercial fishers know how seriously AFMA takes its responsibilities in all fisheries. The Greens do not support sustainable catch limits based on science. We know that. Everyone knows that. The message is that the Greens want fisheries managed by politicians, not by qualified fishery managers. The Greens do not support the commercial operators who fish in some of the world's best-managed fisheries, nor do Labor. It is Labor, it is the Greens; it is their way. They do not support the science, they do not support commercial fishers, they do not support the fishing industry and they certainly do not support farmers—and we see that in every way and in every one of their policies.

This bill does not merit supporting, and it will not be supported. This bill is about appeasing the green lobby. If this goes through, you have to wonder which agricultural industry will next be in the Greens' and Labor's crosshairs. Thank you.

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