LATEST DELAY FROM MINISTER'S GARRETT'S OFFICE

Fishers still waiting - read Senator Colbeck's latest media release:

100510 Rudd Government stalls on mako shark fishing legislation

Mako madness from Peter Garrett!

In late 2009 Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett proposed a ban on catching mako sharks, a popular fish for many thousands of Australia’s recreational fishers.

Minister Garrett’s proposal came about due to international action on threatened stocks particularly in the Mediterranean and North Atlantic Ocean, but there was no scientific evidence or data suggesting low stocks in or around Australian waters. The Minister was largely influenced by fringe environmental groups.

The Minister’s plan to list longfin mako, shortfin mako and porbeagle shark species under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act was to take effect on 29 January 2010.

Following a concerted grassroots campaign by the recreational fishermen in conjunction with the Federal Coalition, the Government announced backed-down and said it would make legislative amendments which would allow recreational fishing of mako shark to continue.

The national grassroots campaign included the collection of national petitions containing the signatures of 8877 members of Australia's recreational fishing community. These were tabled in the Australian Senate by Senator Richard Colbeck, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry.

The national petition established by the Federal Coalition called on the Rudd Government and Minister Garrett to:
1. postpone any decision to implement any no-take policy on shortfin mako, longfin mako and porbeagle sharks beyond this fishing season;
2. begin a genuine consultation process involving both the recreational and commercial fishing sectors, including game fishing clubs;
3. publish and explain, as part of the consultative process, the science relating to any shark fishing ban proposals including the status of the species in Australian waters; and
4. develop, with input and feedback from both the recreational and commercial fishing sectors, credible protocols for the management of the fishery prior to any bans being implemented.
Public meetings were also held in coastal places such as Shellharbour in NSW, Hastings and Torquay in Victoria as well as St Helens and Devonport in Tasmania with hundreds in attendance.

“The mako shark fishing backdown has been a win for grassroots politics,” Senator Colbeck said.

“Mr Garrett did not consult with either recreational or commercial fishermen – just his mates in fringe environmental groups.

"Yet the impact on fishing families, game fishing clubs, bait and tackles stores, fishing charter boat operators and others in the sector was enormous."

As of April 2010, the legislative amendments have passed the House of Representatives but are yet to be debated in the Senate.

February 4, 2010 - Senator Colbeck's speech to the Senate upon tabling of the national petition:

Senator COLBECK (Tasmania) (9.31 am) – Mr President, I seek leave to make a short statement in relation to the petition that was tabled on my behalf this morning.

Thanks to the chamber for allowing me to make a short statement.

This petition was commissioned only on 18 December last year and is a clear demonstration of grassroots politics at work in relation to a decision the government made to ban longfin and shortfin mako and porbeagle shark fishing.

For 5,935 people to sign this petition in this period of time, and two other documents, which I would like the opportunity to place on the record – one which has 1,079 signatures, and another one, an online petition, which has 1,863 petitioners – gives a demonstration of the public feeling about this particular matter.

Very quickly, I would like to pay tribute to a number of people who have played a specific part in this particular campaign: Mr Dale McClelland of the Bass Strait Game Fishing Club; Mr Grahame Williams, president of the Game Fishing Association of Australia: Ben Scullin from VRFish; Garry Kerr from the Victorian Surf Coast; John McGiveron, the president of the St Helens Game Fishing Club, Mark Nikolai from TARFish; and Greg Barea from the Shellharbour Game Fishing Club, and many other individuals who have taken the time out to participate in this process.

It is really a victory for grassroots politics and campaigning. I also pay tribute to Sarah Henderson for the terrific work that she did in the Geelong region, around Corangamite. I thank the chamber for its indulgence.

See Senator Colbeck’s media statements on this issue:

• 09/01/10 Government threatens Devonport fishing competition with the chop
• 13/01/10 Labor MP all at sea on mako fishing ban
• 15/01/10 Labor's mako shark ban threatens scientific research
• 19/01/10 Garrett must read his own review to fix mako mess
• 21/01/10 Confusion, division and panic in Labor ranks over mako fishing ban
• 24/01/10 Rec fishers to have say on Garrett's mako ban
• 25/01/10 Recreational fishermen force backdown on mako fishing ban
• 28/01/10 Fishermen must beware of Garrett's mako fishing law
• 04/02/10 8000 Fishing Voices Heard in Federal Parliament
• 25/02/10 Coalition welcomes tabling of amendments to fix Garrett's mako shark mess

- But Devonport families still treated unfairly by Labor's new rules

After months of pressure applied by the Federal Coalition on behalf of families in rural and regional Australia, the Rudd Government has finally backed down on some of its unfair Youth Allowance eligibility changes.

But Devonport and Latrobe families are still going to be treated unfairly and Labor is refusing to do anything more about it.

The Rudd Government introduced legislation in September 2009 seeking to make a number of changes to the Youth Allowance program.

The Coalition supported the bulk of these reforms but Labor’s Education Minister Julia Gillard refused to address the Coalition’s concerns about the impact of changes to the eligibility for ‘independence’.

One aspect of Labor’s new Youth Allowance reforms was to alter the work participation requirements which thousands of students use to gain independent status.

But Labor tried to make this alteration in a way that would have unfairly disadvantaged thousands of students who had taken 2009 as a working ‘gap year’.

In good faith, these young people had committed to working hard for the year with the expectation that they could then qualify as “independent’ 18 months later. Under the changes proposed by Labor, their year’s work would have counted for nothing.

It was unfair and ignorant of Labor to penalise those students.

The Coalition, together with student representative groups around Australia, protested the Labor Government’s moves to introduce the new work participation requirements retrospectively. Coalition Senators blocked the passage of the Bill when it was first presented to the Australian Senate in November 2009, and sought to make amendments which Labor rejected.

In March 2010, after sustained pressure on Minister Gillard and the Rudd Government, the Coalition successfully negotiated to pass an amended Youth Allowance Bill which ensured the 2009 ‘gap year’ students would not be disadvantaged.

The next challenge

Despite the Rudd Government agreeing to some of the Coalition’s amendments, families in the Devonport region are still facing vast disadvantage in comparison to other parts of the North West Coast.

This is because the Rudd Government chose to use a model that classified Devonport and Latrobe as ‘Inner Regional Australia’ while all other towns and cities in North West Tasmania, including Burnie, were classified as ‘Outer Regional Australia’ or ‘Remote Australia’ (see map below).

The Rudd Labor Government has refused to amend the model to treat Devonport and Latrobe families more fairly.

What the classifications mean, in terms of Youth Allowance access and work participation, is that students in Devonport and Latrobe will have to work at least 30 hours per week in a two year period to classify as independent, while those in Burnie and other parts of the region will only have to work 15 hours per week.

This is completely unfair – especially when taking account that Burnie is of a similar population to Devonport and even has its own university campus.

Senator Colbeck and the Tasmanian Liberal Senate Team are fighting Labor to change the rules and make it fair for Devonport and Latrobe families.

If you or you family are affected by this unfair rule, Senator Colbeck would welcome your views. You will find all contact details here.

click map below to enlarge

The Coalition supports a balanced approach to marine conservation.

Marine Protected Areas are intended to protect and maintain biologically and culturally significant marine areas. The previous Coalition Government commenced the process of establishing Marine Protected Areas around Australia’s coastline.

In 2006, the Coalition announced the establishment of eleven Marine Protected Areas along Australia’s south-east coast. These eleven Marine Protected Areas were only created after careful consideration and consultation with the recreational and commercial fishing sectors and other stakeholders.

The Coalition engaged in an extensive and cooperative consultation process before Marine Protected Areas were declared. This consultation ensured an appropriate balance was struck between protecting marine biodiversity and minimising social and economic impact on fishers, businesses and their communities.

Labor has continued the Coalition’s policy, but it has failed to adopt a balanced approach to Marine Protected Areas. Labor has also failed to engage in appropriate consultation with the fishing industry and the wider community.

Many communities that rely on fishing are directly threatened by Labor’s inability to consult on whether a region should be declared a Marine Protected Area.

Unsurprisingly, recreational and commercial fishers, as well as the many related businesses and communities that rely on fishing, have raised substantial concerns about Labor’s handling of Marine Protected Areas.
Appropriate and effective consultation is needed if Marine Protected Areas are to balance environmental concerns with the need to promote jobs and sustain communities that rely on commercial and recreational fishing.

Many communities will face enormous economic and social losses unless there is proper and effective consultation on potential Marine Protected Areas. Only proper and effective consultation will ensure that future Marine Protected Areas balance preservation of the environment with economic growth and strong coastal communities.

The Coalition is committed to returning balance and fairness to marine conservation.

The Coalition will take real action to ensure there is proper community and industry consultation regarding any proposed Marine Protected Areas.

Specifically, the Coalition will:

1. Immediately put on hold the Marine Bioregional Planning process to allow for
its restructure.

The Marine Bioregional Planning Process will be immediately restructured in order to
address community and industry concerns about the Labor Government’s mismanagement of the process for declaring Marine Protected Areas.

2. Provide a fair and balanced Displaced Effort Policy

Responsibility for the design, development and consultation of the displacement policy will be with a Ministerial panel to be joint-chaired by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries
and Forestry and the Minister for Environment Protection, Heritage and Arts.

3. Base Marine Protected Areas on science

The Coalition will require peer reviewed scientific evidence of threats to marine biodiversity to be made available to all stakeholders, including affected communities
and industries, before any decision is made on future Marine Protected Areas (particularly
any no-take zone).

4. Establish sensible and balanced Marine Park boundaries and develop management
plans in consultation with industry

In establishing Marine Protected Areas, the Coalition will consult closely with those
people and industries that use the marine environment, including the recreational and
commercial fishing sectors, to determine Marine Protected Area management plans in
accordance with relevant legislation and other regulatory frameworks. All Marine
Protected Areas will be signed off by both the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and
Forestry and the Minister for Environment Protection, Heritage and Arts.

You can download the full policy document here