Luke Hartsuyker (Cowper, National Party, Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I present the explanatory memorandum to this bill and move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

The Fisheries Legislation Amendment (Representation) Bill 2017 reflects the Australian government's ongoing commitment to the long-term sustainable use and development of Australia's fisheries resources.

The Australian government continues to work with all fisheries users—commercial, recreational and Indigenous—to ensure ecologically sustainable development and achieve the maximum benefit to the Australian community of this important and publicly owned resource.

Our fisheries management framework is internationally recognised as one of the best in the world. In 2015, no fish stock managed solely by the Commonwealth was subject to overfishing, ensuring the sustainability of Australia's fisheries for the benefit of present and future generations of Australians.

Commonwealth fisheries legislation primarily regulates the commercial harvest of fish stocks in Commonwealth fisheries to ensure catch rates and fish stocks are at sustainable levels. However, in recent years there has been an increase in the amount of recreational fishing occurring in Commonwealth waters.

By recognising and taking the interests of all users into account in the Commonwealth fisheries management framework, the government can enhance regulatory certainty and improve access to Commonwealth fish stocks consistent with their optimal use as a public resource.

As significant stakeholders in Commonwealth fisheries it is important that recreational fishers' interests can be readily identified and taken into consideration by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA).

Recreational fishers have an interest in a number of fish stocks managed by the Australian government. Considering their interests as part of the fisheries management framework is important both for ensuring sustainable fish stocks and for optimising the benefits of our fisheries resources for the Australian community.

Proposed amendments will address this, ensuring that legislation keeps pace with the changes in use of Commonwealth waters and thus stays effective in ensuring sustainable management of the resource.

Fishing by Indigenous Australians should also be recognised as a sector in its own right in fisheries management regimes, including for any traditional customary fishing rights.

It is important that governments recognise and understand the strong relationship Indigenous people have with fishery resources and ensure the fisheries management frameworks appropriately accommodate sustainable cultural fishing through greater and more meaningful engagement with Indigenous communities.

The amendments to the Fisheries Management Act 1991 and the Fisheries Administration Act 1991 will ensure that the interests of all fisheries users are adequately represented, and taken into consideration in fisheries management decisions.

This bill provides greater certainty to stakeholder groups regarding the extent to which their interests should be identified, represented and considered by AFMA.

It also allows for greater membership of all interested parties on management advisory committees.

The inclusion of a new objective in both acts ensures that legislation keeps pace with the changes in the use of Commonwealth-managed fish stocks, particularly given the increasing presence of recreational fishers in Commonwealth waters.

It improves transparency and provides formal mechanisms for recreational and Indigenous fishers to voice their views regarding proposed changes in management decisions.

The inclusion of an additional objective is consistent with representations from recreational fishers and Indigenous advisory bodies. Submissions by these sectors to the recent Productivity Commission inquiry into the regulation of Australian marine fisheries and aquaculture sectorscalled for legislative recognition of the two sectors as well as greater involvement in AFMA's decision-making framework.

In addition to a new objective, the bill amends the eligibility criteria for the appointment of AFMA commissioners. The criteria will be expanded to include the addition of expertise in matters relating to recreational and Indigenous fishing.

Broadening the eligibility criteria of AFMA commissioners to include expertise in matters relating to recreational and Indigenous fishers will enhance the capacity of the AFMA Commission to respond to future challenges in fisheries management.

Finally, the bill increases the maximum number of members on AFMA's management advisory committees from seven to 10.

It also includes a requirement for AFMA to actively seek, as far as practicable, recreational fishing members on relevant management advisory committees.

These amendments will ensure that there is greater opportunity for key fisheries stakeholders to be appropriately represented on management advisory committees.

Importantly, the bill strengthens the voice of recreational fishers and Indigenous stakeholders in regard to the management of Commonwealth fisheries without compromising the Commonwealth's world-class fisheries management framework.

I commend the bill to the House.

Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As the assistant minister indicated, the Fisheries Legislation Amendment (Representation) Bill 2017 is about giving recreational and Indigenous fishers a voice in Commonwealth decision making, and of course the opposition supports the proposition. We think it's a very important step in recognising both the value of recreational fishers and Indigenous fishers and their important contribution to the public debate wherever the Commonwealth has responsibility.

I'm very proud to represent an electorate which has more than its fair share of Australia's many recreational fishers. In fact, there are around five million of them, contributing more than $2 billion to the national economy. Of course, fishing is very much part of the Australian culture. It's as Australian as football and meat pies, I would suggest, and this is a group worthy of support.

And, as the minister has indicated, our Indigenous Australians have a very, very deep connection to both our waterways and our fishing resources. That needs to be recognised and respected. They too deserve some role in the decision-making process and of course have a great deal to offer in terms of advice to the Commonwealth on fishing matters. So we do support the legislation before the House.

I must say, though, that this has been in the making since prior to the 2013 election. Labor, in government, began the process of further engaging the rec fishers and Indigenous fishers sectors in Commonwealth decision making. I note that the coalition opposition at the time also promised to progress that engagement if elected at the 2013 election. It's fair to say that this has been an all-too-slow process.

I again reinforced Labor's commitment to the policy in an announcement on 18 June 2016—in other words, just prior to the last federal election. The coalition again met Labor's commitment, but here, again, we are almost at the end of 2017 and only now is legislation being put into effect to give fishers the voice they deserve. It's a little like the Forest Industry Advisory Committee and other stalled processes in forestry. Both fishers and forestry, of course, are portfolio areas of responsibilities which have been dropped from the title of the senior minister. We think that's regrettable, because we think that their role and contribution should be taken into account and fully and properly respected as such. So the opposition supports the bill, and we trust that the government will be very quick now to take all the necessary steps to ensure that the engagement is substantial and that the voice we expect to be given is given both to rec fishers and Indigenous fishers.

I'm very pleased to say that over recent years I've been an active member of the Parliamentary Friends of Recreational Fishers group. There's a regular breakfast here in Parliament House, as you probably know, Mr Deputy Speaker Irons. Sorry, I'm not a regular attender at the friends of fishers; I'm a regular attender of a breakfast held by the Australian Recreational Fishers Foundation, led by CEO Allan Hansard. At last year's event, in my own contribution to that event, I suggested that it was time that we have a parliamentary friends of fishers group in this place. It seems that we have one for just about every other interest in the parliament, and fishing is of interest to many members on both sides of the House. I'm pleased that that has now occurred, and particularly pleased that the member for Solomon has led the way there at my request. He has played a leading role in having the formation of that friendship group put in place. I know that the friendship group will keep a close check, and will look to the government to make sure that the hope given in terms of this legislation and the government's other commitment is fulfilled and that the rec fishers and Indigenous fishers get a proper voice in Commonwealth decision-making.