❓ Ms. Farrer asks about the Aquaculture Development Plan's impact on investment and job creation. The Minister details initiatives like aquaculture zones, infrastructure investment, and research support, projecting significant job growth.
AnsweredQoN 951Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
AQUACULTURE DEVELOPMENT PLAN
951. Ms J. FARRER to the Minister for Fisheries:
I refer to the McGowan Labor government's commitment
to growing WA's aquaculture industry and creating new jobs in the
sector as our economy recovers from the impacts of COVID-19. Can the minister
outline to the house how the aquaculture development plan announced today will
help attract new investments in the industry and support the creation of new
local Western Australian jobs?
951. Ms J. FARRER to the Minister for Fisheries:
I refer to the McGowan Labor government's commitment
to growing WA's aquaculture industry and creating new jobs in the
sector as our economy recovers from the impacts of COVID-19. Can the minister
outline to the house how the aquaculture development plan announced today will
help attract new investments in the industry and support the creation of new
local Western Australian jobs?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Kimberley for
the question and for her enduring interest in the aquaculture industry,
particularly the pearling and barramundi fisheries in her electorate. The
situation that Western Australia now finds itself in is that aquaculture is at
a turning point, after many, many years of people talking about it and
successive governments attempting to do
something about it. This has been delivered not only as a result of COVID, but
also in large part by the fiscal discipline of the first three years of this
government and the way it has approached the health crisis, which has allowed
us to refocus and redouble our efforts to take the aquaculture industry towards
its potential.
Yesterday,
I was delighted to launch the ''Aquaculture Development Plan for Western
Australia'' to expand our blue economy, if you like, and attract
new investment and create up to as many as 6 000 jobs in its mature form. That is 6 000 sustainable jobs for well over the
horizon and into the future. The aquaculture plan will accelerate and support the continued growth of the aquaculture industry to make sure that it is well
positioned to build on opportunities as we come out of the COVID-19 pandemic
and the international economy reopens. It is fundamentally important that we
take the time and are not idle in this moment to create the best possible
opportunities. The reason is that Western Australia, with its 12 500 kilometres
of coastline, has extremely prospective areas for aquaculture and is
internationally attractive for foreign direct investment. Making sure that
those areas are identified and as much as possible de-risked and we get them to
international markets is fundamental to the growth of Western Australia. At full production, the existing aquaculture zones
will be the largest aquaculture zones in Australia, and for some s pecies,
in the Southern Hemisphere.
The
Oyster Harbour leases of about 500 hectares, which I released recently—put
to the market—are the first tranche of nearly 1 000 hectares of
highly prospective oyster farming locations down in Albany, which will make it
the largest single oyster production facility in the Southern Hemisphere. That
has in large part been delivered because the government committed to
common-user infrastructure that was beyond the capacity of any one commercial
operator. The millions of dollars that was injected into the shellfish hatchery
in Albany has exceeded expectations to the point that we need to accelerate the
expansion of its capability to deliver to a hungry industry with highly
corporatised approaches to ensure that we are keeping pace with industry.
It was very exciting to launch the
aquaculture development zone. We are looking forward to the conclusion of the
expressions of interest process. We have done a lot since 2017 to support this
potential around the coastline—up into the Kimberley, down to the Great
Australian Bight and all the way around.
Mr D.T. Redman interjected.
Mr P.C. TINLEY : We have done
a lot and there is a lot more to do there, member. We declared the Mid West Aquaculture Development Zone, which has since been
fully allocated for finfish. We transferred the Australian Centre for Applied Aquaculture and Research to the
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development under the machinery-of-government arrangements, which has
accelerated its research capabilities. We funded the construction and
operation of the marine finfish nursery in Geraldton. In partnership with the
Aquaculture Council of Western Australia, we established the Albany shellfish
hatchery, as I mentioned. We progressed the establishment of aquaculture
development zones on the south coast, with a focus on Albany. We upgraded —
Several members interjected.
Mr P.C. TINLEY : I know
members opposite do not like hearing it; they have not talked about it.
Several members interjected.
Mr P.C. TINLEY : Since 2017,
these things have been delivered by a government that actually cares about —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members on the
opposition side of the chamber who are saying that this is taking too long have
forgotten when they were on the other side of the chamber.
Mr
P.C. TINLEY : The expectation of Western
Australians is for a sustainable job not just for their kids, but for their children's children. This government is giving them the opportunity to
involve themselves in a highly technical industry that will sustain that
ability.
If I take too long, I apologise, but
the litany of this government's successes need to be articulated in
this place so that members opposite get an understanding of what good
government looks like, because they did not do it in eight years. I am going to
continue.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr P.C. TINLEY : We provided
$3.9 million of funding for an aquaculture investment stimulus package, we
established the DPIRD Hillarys shellfish research facility, we declared the
Albany development zone and we released some administrative guidelines for
aquaculture leases to make them more internationally competitive. We completed
the design component of the Geraldton marine finfish nursery in September of
this year; we accelerated it. We launched
the aquaculture development plan, so we actually have a blueprint for people
who want opportunities for their children. The McGowan government
delivered it because it had the opportunity to have a vision that members
opposite have no idea about.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : No more!
the question and for her enduring interest in the aquaculture industry,
particularly the pearling and barramundi fisheries in her electorate. The
situation that Western Australia now finds itself in is that aquaculture is at
a turning point, after many, many years of people talking about it and
successive governments attempting to do
something about it. This has been delivered not only as a result of COVID, but
also in large part by the fiscal discipline of the first three years of this
government and the way it has approached the health crisis, which has allowed
us to refocus and redouble our efforts to take the aquaculture industry towards
its potential.
Yesterday,
I was delighted to launch the ''Aquaculture Development Plan for Western
Australia'' to expand our blue economy, if you like, and attract
new investment and create up to as many as 6 000 jobs in its mature form. That is 6 000 sustainable jobs for well over the
horizon and into the future. The aquaculture plan will accelerate and support the continued growth of the aquaculture industry to make sure that it is well
positioned to build on opportunities as we come out of the COVID-19 pandemic
and the international economy reopens. It is fundamentally important that we
take the time and are not idle in this moment to create the best possible
opportunities. The reason is that Western Australia, with its 12 500 kilometres
of coastline, has extremely prospective areas for aquaculture and is
internationally attractive for foreign direct investment. Making sure that
those areas are identified and as much as possible de-risked and we get them to
international markets is fundamental to the growth of Western Australia. At full production, the existing aquaculture zones
will be the largest aquaculture zones in Australia, and for some s pecies,
in the Southern Hemisphere.
The
Oyster Harbour leases of about 500 hectares, which I released recently—put
to the market—are the first tranche of nearly 1 000 hectares of
highly prospective oyster farming locations down in Albany, which will make it
the largest single oyster production facility in the Southern Hemisphere. That
has in large part been delivered because the government committed to
common-user infrastructure that was beyond the capacity of any one commercial
operator. The millions of dollars that was injected into the shellfish hatchery
in Albany has exceeded expectations to the point that we need to accelerate the
expansion of its capability to deliver to a hungry industry with highly
corporatised approaches to ensure that we are keeping pace with industry.
It was very exciting to launch the
aquaculture development zone. We are looking forward to the conclusion of the
expressions of interest process. We have done a lot since 2017 to support this
potential around the coastline—up into the Kimberley, down to the Great
Australian Bight and all the way around.
Mr D.T. Redman interjected.
Mr P.C. TINLEY : We have done
a lot and there is a lot more to do there, member. We declared the Mid West Aquaculture Development Zone, which has since been
fully allocated for finfish. We transferred the Australian Centre for Applied Aquaculture and Research to the
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development under the machinery-of-government arrangements, which has
accelerated its research capabilities. We funded the construction and
operation of the marine finfish nursery in Geraldton. In partnership with the
Aquaculture Council of Western Australia, we established the Albany shellfish
hatchery, as I mentioned. We progressed the establishment of aquaculture
development zones on the south coast, with a focus on Albany. We upgraded —
Several members interjected.
Mr P.C. TINLEY : I know
members opposite do not like hearing it; they have not talked about it.
Several members interjected.
Mr P.C. TINLEY : Since 2017,
these things have been delivered by a government that actually cares about —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members on the
opposition side of the chamber who are saying that this is taking too long have
forgotten when they were on the other side of the chamber.
Mr
P.C. TINLEY : The expectation of Western
Australians is for a sustainable job not just for their kids, but for their children's children. This government is giving them the opportunity to
involve themselves in a highly technical industry that will sustain that
ability.
If I take too long, I apologise, but
the litany of this government's successes need to be articulated in
this place so that members opposite get an understanding of what good
government looks like, because they did not do it in eight years. I am going to
continue.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr P.C. TINLEY : We provided
$3.9 million of funding for an aquaculture investment stimulus package, we
established the DPIRD Hillarys shellfish research facility, we declared the
Albany development zone and we released some administrative guidelines for
aquaculture leases to make them more internationally competitive. We completed
the design component of the Geraldton marine finfish nursery in September of
this year; we accelerated it. We launched
the aquaculture development plan, so we actually have a blueprint for people
who want opportunities for their children. The McGowan government
delivered it because it had the opportunity to have a vision that members
opposite have no idea about.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : No more!
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