Industry picking up tab for inefficiency – new year but same old Labor

SENATOR THE HON RICHARD COLBECK

Senator for Tasmania

Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries and Forestry
Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation, Industry and Science

M E D I A R E L E A S E

25 January 2011

Industry picking up tab for inefficiency – new year but same old Labor

The Labor Government’s hopeless attitude to primary industries is again on display with the recent release of license fees by AFMA.

Senator Colbeck, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries and Forestry said, “The dramatic increase in costs are having the effect of forcing fishers out of the industry”.

“This matter is made even worse by the fact that AFMA’s inability to live within it’s budget results in the cost overruns being pushed into the next financial year and onto the fishing industry.”

“We are hearing examples where the cost of access to a fishery through AFMA fees and charges exceeds the income from that fishery”, Senator Colbeck said.

“There is no point in the Minister trying to push the blame for this cost on to anyone else – only he and the Chief Commissioner have control over AFMA’s budget and costs.”

“In 2010 the Government was spruiking the changes it had made to “implement more effective and less costly fisheries management. And now what do we find?”
The costs have continued to blow out. This year alone fees in popular Australian fisheries, like Blue Eye Trevalla, flake, flathead, ling, and grenadier have doubled.”

Making industry pay for Government inefficiencies seems to be systemic in the Gillard Government. “We have seen similar examples in AQIS where some businesses have seen cost increases of up to 1300%,” Senator Colbeck said.

It is about time this Labor Government started living within its means instead of costing our primary industries out of existence.
Senator Richard Colbeck