THE ABBOTT GOVERNMENT NEEDS LABOR’S HELP

The Abbott Government is failing in its responsibility to protect Australia’s fisheries and threatened species and now must accept Labor’s offer of stronger powers to control fishing activities.

Uncertainty surrounding the impact of the trawler Geelong Star prior to its operations in Australia’s Small Pelagic Fishery was highlighted in testimony provided to a Senate Estimates Committee yesterday by officials from the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA).

In their appearance before the Committee, the officials confirmed that the number of dolphins and seals drowning in the vessel’s nets was, “too high – well above what we’d expect to be the norm in equivalent fisheries both domestically and elsewhere.”

“From the evidence we have heard, the time for the Government to act is now,” said Senator Lisa Singh, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Water.

AFMA indicated that it had tightened controls on the fishing activities of the Geelong Star after the deaths of seals and dolphins during its first voyage. AFMA also confirmed the controls had to be tightened again after further deaths during the vessel’s second voyage, when the vessel undertook fishing activities ‘not in line AFMA expectations’.

“It is just not good enough for Parliamentary Secretary Colbeck to tell the Committee that ‘no one is happy about these mortalities,’” said Senator Singh.

“The question is; what is he going to do about it?

“For more than a year the Abbott Government has ignored Labor’s offer to help control fishing activities where uncertainty exists about their conduct and impact, and to ensure proper and thorough expert scientific work is conducted before such fishing begins.

“Greg Hunt describes the number of dolphins and seals that have been drowned as “outrageous”, but the Abbott Government has refused to take its bycatch management responsibilities seriously and work with Labor, the industries, the community and other stakeholders to safeguard Australia’s precious marine biodiversity,” the Senator said.
SENATOR LISA SINGH SHADOW PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY FOR ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE AND WATER LABOR SENATOR FOR TASMANIA