Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Thorp for her question. The Gillard government has today announced it will introduce legislation to strengthen the environmental controls on vessels like the Abel Tasman. The new legislation will also allow the government to establish an expert panel to conduct assessment of all of the potential impact before a vessel can be approved to fish in Commonwealth waters. The Gillard government remains a strong defender of Australian fisheries.

Our fisheries management system was established under the Hawke government in 1991 and is recognised as one of the best in the world. However, times have changed over the last 20 years, even if those opposite have not. Today I announce that the government will conduct a major root and branch review of the fisheries management system to ensure it is in line with community expectations, socioeconomic concerns and environmental measures. The review is supported by the Commonwealth Fisheries Association, who believe that it has come at the right time. These actions will give our system and our fishers the confidence they need to continue to be among the most productive, profitable and sustainable in the world.

My responsibility as fisheries minister is to make sure our fisheries remain among the most sustainable and best managed in the world and that they are served by the very best system. We have a very effective independent regulator, the Australian Fisheries Management Authority, which manages and closely scrutinises all fishing activities in Australian waters in accordance with the Fisheries Management Act. AFMA and the fisheries minister are required to operate under the parameters provided by this act, which was written in the late 1980s and passed in 1991. These arrangements have served us well and the science and management conditions remain at the right level. But there is no doubt that our fisheries management system is world class— (Time expired)