Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I actually came into the chamber to speak about the Northern Territory Fisheries Joint Authority and I have been delayed five minutes by someone talking about a Western Australian matter. Interesting though it was, it was completely inaccurate—as most of Senator’s Sterle’s contributions are when they relate to fisheries matters. What Senator Sterle clearly indicated in his presentation is that this particular fishery is a Western Australian fishery. If the Hon. Jon Ford, the minister whom he so highly regards, is doing such a great job, why isn’t he out there policing a Western Australian state fishery? Why isn’t he doing that?

But I am distracted from the issue before the Senate by the previous speaker, who did not refer to it once—that is, the Northern Territory Fisheries Joint Authority: report for 2002-03. That report does make interesting reading, but it highlights some of the problems to which Senator Sterle was adverting—that is, the illegal Indonesian fishermen. It raises with me the thought of the Indigenous rangers in the Northern Territory who have for some time been seeking some assistance from the government to join in the fight against the illegal fishing by Indonesian fishermen. That is a very worthwhile offer by the Indigenous people, and it is one which the government will be seriously considering. We have for some time been waiting for a submission from the Northern Territory minister. I understand that subsequent to my departure from the portfolio that submission has arrived. Of course, at the moment it is nothing that I will be able to directly have an influence on, but it is certainly something that I would urge the government to seriously consider.

I think the Indigenous rangers do have an ability to help in the fight against the illegal fishing. The Howard government has put massive resources into the fight against illegal fishing. I made a prediction a few months ago that we would win that fight within a couple of years—the same as we have won the fight in the Southern Ocean against the pirates of the Patagonian toothfish. It will take time and a lot of effort and we will need some more resources—and I will speak about that at some other opportune time. But the groundwork and the framework are there to win that battle. Most importantly, the work that has been done with Indonesia, I think, will be very useful in winning that battle in the months and years ahead.

I was delighted to read in the newspaper that Mr Downer has again been to Indonesia—that is twice in as many months or perhaps twice in three months—to talk to the Indonesian government about getting them on board to help resolve this issue. People like Jon Ford and Senator Sterle get up and make political points about these issues but never have any real solutions. The real solutions are being put in place by the Howard government, and the most prominent and most important amongst them is the cooperation of the Indonesian government.

It is a problem for Indonesia. Senator Sterle and Mr Ford would not have a clue about international diplomacy or the way international matters work, nor would they realise the difficulties the Indonesian central government has in addressing this particular problem. It involves provincial governments and local governments and it is a problem which in the past the central government, with whom the Australian government deals, has not focused upon. I have to say that has now changed, and both the foreign minister and the fisheries minister, a Papuan, are very focused on this issue. Their joint work with the Australian government will see us win that battle—and I have predicted within two years. I am very confident that we will do that. People laughed at us when I predicted that we could win the battle against the Patagonian toothfish pirates: that has now been achieved. Within two years, we will achieve the same success in the north of Australia.