JOBS, REGIONAL ECONOMIES JUST MONTHS FROM DEVASTATING BLOW AS FISHERS FACE GOVERNMENT BANS
The Queensland LNP Government is being urged by Federal colleagues to seek a three-year extension of North Queensland’s gillnet fishery rather than shutting it down before a $9 million government research program into alternative fishing methods is complete.
Queensland Senator Susan McDonald and Member for Dawson Andrew Willcox have written to Queensland Primary Industries Minister Tony Perrett and Environment Minister Andrew Powell seeking a deferral of the scheduled 30 June 2027 phase-out until at least 2030.
The six-year Fish-LIGHT research program is not due to conclude until June 2030, while the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation has acknowledged there is no single replacement for gillnets and that alternative methods under trial have limitations.
Senator McDonald, who is also Shadow Minister for Resources and Northern Australia, said it made no sense to permanently shut down Australian fishing businesses three years before research intended to develop alternatives was finished.
“This shutdown was concocted by the Albanese Federal Government and the previous Queensland Labor Government in conjunction with UNESCO based on radical green ideology with zero thought for impacts on fishers, regional economies, seafood businesses and consumers,” she said.
“We are asking the Queensland Government to put the science first and seek an extension from the Commonwealth until Fish-LIGHT has completed its work.
“Why would we shut down Australian fishers in 2027 and then continue spending millions of dollars until 2030 researching how they might be able to keep fishing?
“A lot has changed since this policy was imposed. We have mandatory onboard camera monitoring, vessel tracking, published threatened-species interaction data and new independent analysis of the sustainability of the fishery.
“The independent FishListic pre-assessment found the principal target stocks were above sustainable biomass thresholds and concluded the four fishing units assessed were likely capable of meeting the Marine Stewardship Council Fisheries Standard with conditions.
“That evidence needs to be examined before we permanently remove another source of Australian seafood. Australia already imports around two-thirds of the seafood we eat despite having one of the largest fishing zones in the world.
“It makes no sense to shut sustainable Australian fisheries because of environmental ideology and then replace Australian fish with more imported seafood.
“Australia imports close to 65% of its seafood, often from countries with environment laws and fisheries management far weaker than our own. With the Olympics happening in 2032, we should be ensuring we are feeding visitors and athletes quality Queensland seafood, not shutting down an important part of the industry.
“We can protect the Great Barrier Reef while supporting sustainable fishing. Decisions should be made using science and evidence, not simply by continuing a policy inherited from Labor.”
Mr Willcox, who is also Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing and Sovereign Capability, said the consequences of the closure would extend well beyond the few remaining commercial fishers.
“This is about Australian jobs, Australian food production and sovereign capability,” Mr Willcox said.
“Commercial fishing supports processors, wholesalers, transport operators, chandlers, marine mechanics, retailers, restaurants and other small businesses throughout regional Queensland.
“Once those businesses, skilled crews and generations of fishing knowledge disappear, you cannot simply switch them back on three years later when the research is finished.
“The sensible course is to keep the existing safeguards and monitoring in place, finish the Fish-LIGHT research and then make a decision based on the evidence.
“At a time when we are talking nationally about producing more in Australia and strengthening our sovereign capability, deliberately reducing our capacity to produce our own food should require a very strong scientific case.
“Queenslanders should be able to buy Queensland-caught seafood, and our commercial fishers should have the opportunity to keep supplying it where the science shows they can do so sustainably.”
Senator McDonald and Mr Willcox have asked the Queensland Government to approach the Commonwealth about extending the existing NX arrangements until at least June 2030 while maintaining current monitoring and environmental safeguards.
ENDS