Andrew Bartlett (Queensland, Australian Democrats) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the document.

This is an amendment to annex 1 on the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels—petrels being another kind of bird. I want to speak briefly to this to emphasise the importance of this issue. Many conservation issues that involve sea creatures, animals or birds that predominantly inhabit marine areas are often less in the public consciousness. There is a very serious crisis with regard to the survival of a range of seabirds, and of particular relevance to this treaty or agreement to the survival of albatrosses and petrels.

A year or two ago there was quite a good innovation called the Great Race, which was run over the internet. In the Great Race, people were able to take bets on which albatross would be the first to complete the very long journey that they make as part of their breeding season. A whole range of albatrosses were fitted with global tracking devices and their locations were plotted on the internet as each of them made their way across the Indian Ocean to Africa. People could place bets through an online betting agency, with the proceeds going to seabird conservation. The outcome of that particular innovation sent a very strong message about how much seabird conservation was needed because none of them arrived and the whole thing had to be cancelled. For a whole range of reasons, some of which are impossible to determine, none of them managed to make that journey. I cannot remember how many birds were involved at the start but I think it was about 20 or so. Whilst there are always some fatalities in these long seabird migrations, to have a 100 per cent mortality rate is obviously not a terribly encouraging sign.

This multilateral treaty seeks to improve arrangements, and enforcement of those arrangements, so as to better protect and maintain the conservation of those seabirds, and there has been action in this area. Some of the activities undertaken to try and improve the survival prospects of albatrosses and other seabirds include changes in the fishing industry—for example, longline fishing. Longline fishing was a key contributor to mortality for albatrosses because they get their beaks hooked on the long lines as they dive down to try and catch the fish. Those sorts of mortalities still occur but they have been reduced, as I understand it, as a result of the introduction of new practices.

My key point in wanting to speak to this document is simply to remind the Senate, and the community more broadly, that there remains a real ongoing problem with the survival and viability of a number of seabird species, including albatrosses, and there is a lot more that still needs to be done. I am pleased that there is ongoing international cooperation but I believe that we are still not resolving the problem adequately. It is a problem that needs attention and which easily slips off the radar because much of the problem occurs at sea or in remote areas. If they are not at sea then many of the albatross nesting sites are on remote islands in the southern parts of Australia—islands around Tasmania, Macquarie Island and places like that. They are areas where people are not necessarily aware of declining numbers. There are resources being put into monitoring this and I welcome that, but we need to do more. The danger is still there, the problem is still there and, as far as I am aware, it is still going in the wrong direction—at least for a number of species. The Democrats urge more attention and more focus on this area and, more importantly than that, more action.

Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance and Administration) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to make a quick contribution on this report, and I note the comments that have just been made. I agree that it is an extremely important issue, but the progress that the Australian fishing industry in particular has made with respect to the protection of seabirds is quite often not recognised. Senator Bartlett indicated that he did not think that there had been all that much improvement in this area.

I am happy to put on the record a conversation I had about 12 months ago with a fishing company that does a lot of fishing in the Southern Ocean in the areas that Senator Bartlett was talking about. They had not caught a seabird for four years at the time of that conversation and, having recently confirmed the information for the last 12 months, it is now five years since they caught a seabird while they were longlining in the Southern Ocean. That is a fantastic result and it is as a result of the technologies that have been developed by the Australian fishing industry and which have been applied by those who operate in the industry. But it is also a result of the monitoring that they undertake. They are required to have monitors on their ships and to report the results so that the claims can be verified. There should be due recognition given to the significant amount of work that the Australian fishing industry has done to progress the work in this very important area. As Senator Bartlett said, it is an important issue for the industry to look at. They have, to their credit, taken up that issue and done the work.

It was interesting to note in that conversation that, in adjacent waters, where the French were fishing, there were significant numbers of seabirds taken in that area. So I think the work of the international treaty is extremely important and the continuation of monitoring and reporting of progress is important. But the one thing I am very pleased to be able to say is that, in this particular instance, the Australian fishing industry and the advances that they have made in the management of this issue can be taken as an international example. I would certainly place my commendation to them on the record and urge that other countries that are signatories to this treaty continue to do the work that needs to be done and consider watching what the Australian industry are doing and taking up some of their advances.

Question agreed to.