❓ The WA parliamentary question addresses the financial difficulties of rock lobster fishers and seeks government action, including a fisheries adjustment scheme, a shift to quota management, and measures for recreational fishers. The Minister acknowledges the issues and outlines steps being taken, including seeking federal assistance and considering management changes.
AnsweredQoN 964Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
WEST COAST ROCK LOBSTER FISHERY adjustment scheme
I apologise that no notice of this question has been given, but it is a topical subject. Given the perilous financial position that rock lobster fishers are currently dealing with and the significant doubt over the future viability of this fishery, I ask — (1) Will the minister consider establishing a fisheries adjustment scheme for this fishery? (2) Is the minister prepared to move the fishery from input management principles to quota management principles? (3) What measures will the minister take to ensure that recreational rock lobster fishers are playing their part in preserving rock lobster stocks? Hon NORMAN MOORE
I apologise that no notice of this question has been given, but it is a topical subject. Given the perilous financial position that rock lobster fishers are currently dealing with and the significant doubt over the future viability of this fishery, I ask — (1) Will the minister consider establishing a fisheries adjustment scheme for this fishery? (2) Is the minister prepared to move the fishery from input management principles to quota management principles? (3) What measures will the minister take to ensure that recreational rock lobster fishers are playing their part in preserving rock lobster stocks? Hon NORMAN MOORE
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question. (1) Some preliminary thoughts have been given to establishing a fishery adjustment scheme but the quantity of funds that may be required are very significant indeed. I would have thought that an adjustment scheme that was perhaps beyond the capacity of the taxpayer to fund would be very difficult to implement. As the member knows, I have contacted the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Hon Tony Burke, to ask whether he will give consideration to the plight of the rock lobster fishermen in the same context in which he considers farmers under the exceptional circumstances arrangements. His initial response was not all that encouraging, I have to say. However, I do not give in the first time around and I intend to talk to him again. People who earn money in industry pay taxes to the federal government, not to the state government. The government that collects the revenue from the various industries in Australia has, in my view, an obligation to provide assistance if it is determined that assistance is necessary for the industry. I am seeking the federal minister’s consideration of the plight of rock lobster fishermen in the same context as the plight of farmers under the exceptional circumstances arrangements. It can be argued that this is an exceptional circumstance. (2) The rock lobster fishery is an input-managed fishery and we are considering moving to a quota system. The Rock Lobster Industry Advisory Committee has been asked to provide me with its advice on a quota system. I inform the member that all the advice I have received so far about the quota system is that it will be extraordinarily expensive to implement in the short term, although I personally have some sympathy for that course of action. It may be easier to manage lower catches in a quota system to enable the fishery to adjust better to the marketplace than under an input system. Work is being done on that and I will not make a decision in a hurry without knowing all the consequences of moving from one system to another. (3) The member would know, because he introduced it, that the integrated fishery management system is a process whereby fisheries are assessed on the basis of what proportion of the catch ought to go to recreational fishers and what proportion ought to go to professional fishers. The rock lobster fishery was the first fishery that was assessed. Ninety-five per cent of the catch is allocated to the commercial fishers and five per cent is allocated to recreational fishers. Any reduction in the total allowable catch—if I can use that expression because it is not exactly what it is; it is a harvest figure that we are seeking to achieve—should be shared by both recreational and commercial fishers. However, I am advised that the advice of the Department of Fisheries is that amateur fishers take only about two per cent of the rock lobster catch. I am having discussions with Recfishwest and other fishers about how to manage this. My view is that the pain must be spread amongst both sectors. I desperately hope that in the next few years the puerulus count does recover. In the past, when strong measures were taken, the industry rebounded and there was a very significant growth rate during the late 1990s and into the twenty-first century. We have taken measures that I hope are successful. I am sorry to have taken so long to answer the question but it was quite a detailed question. I was rather amused at the interjection of Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich earlier because I recall that when she was a minister, she made vast numbers of ministerial statements during answers to questions.
(1) Will the minister consider establishing a fisheries adjustment scheme for this fishery? (2) Is the minister prepared to move the fishery from input management principles to quota management principles? (3) What measures will the minister take to ensure that recreational rock lobster fishers are playing their part in preserving rock lobster stocks? Hon NORMAN MOORE replied: I thank the member for the question. (1) Some preliminary thoughts have been given to establishing a fishery adjustment scheme but the quantity of funds that may be required are very significant indeed. I would have thought that an adjustment scheme that was perhaps beyond the capacity of the taxpayer to fund would be very difficult to implement. As the member knows, I have contacted the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Hon Tony Burke, to ask whether he will give consideration to the plight of the rock lobster fishermen in the same context in which he considers farmers under the exceptional circumstances arrangements. His initial response was not all that encouraging, I have to say. However, I do not give in the first time around and I intend to talk to him again. People who earn money in industry pay taxes to the federal government, not to the state government. The government that collects the revenue from the various industries in Australia has, in my view, an obligation to provide assistance if it is determined that assistance is necessary for the industry. I am seeking the federal minister’s consideration of the plight of rock lobster fishermen in the same context as the plight of farmers under the exceptional circumstances arrangements. It can be argued that this is an exceptional circumstance. (2) The rock lobster fishery is an input-managed fishery and we are considering moving to a quota system. The Rock Lobster Industry Advisory Committee has been asked to provide me with its advice on a quota system. I inform the member that all the advice I have received so far about the quota system is that it will be extraordinarily expensive to implement in the short term, although I personally have some sympathy for that course of action. It may be easier to manage lower catches in a quota system to enable the fishery to adjust better to the marketplace than under an input system. Work is being done on that and I will not make a decision in a hurry without knowing all the consequences of moving from one system to another. (3) The member would know, because he introduced it, that the integrated fishery management system is a process whereby fisheries are assessed on the basis of what proportion of the catch ought to go to recreational fishers and what proportion ought to go to professional fishers. The rock lobster fishery was the first fishery that was assessed. Ninety-five per cent of the catch is allocated to the commercial fishers and five per cent is allocated to recreational fishers. Any reduction in the total allowable catch—if I can use that expression because it is not exactly what it is; it is a harvest figure that we are seeking to achieve—should be shared by both recreational and commercial fishers. However, I am advised that the advice of the Department of Fisheries is that amateur fishers take only about two per cent of the rock lobster catch. I am having discussions with Recfishwest and other fishers about how to manage this. My view is that the pain must be spread amongst both sectors. I desperately hope that in the next few years the puerulus count does recover. In the past, when strong measures were taken, the industry rebounded and there was a very significant growth rate during the late 1990s and into the twenty-first century. We have taken measures that I hope are successful. I am sorry to have taken so long to answer the question but it was quite a detailed question. I was rather amused at the interjection of Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich earlier because I recall that when she was a minister, she made vast numbers of ministerial statements during answers to questions.
(2) Is the minister prepared to move the fishery from input management principles to quota management principles? (3) What measures will the minister take to ensure that recreational rock lobster fishers are playing their part in preserving rock lobster stocks? Hon NORMAN MOORE replied: I thank the member for the question. (1) Some preliminary thoughts have been given to establishing a fishery adjustment scheme but the quantity of funds that may be required are very significant indeed. I would have thought that an adjustment scheme that was perhaps beyond the capacity of the taxpayer to fund would be very difficult to implement. As the member knows, I have contacted the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Hon Tony Burke, to ask whether he will give consideration to the plight of the rock lobster fishermen in the same context in which he considers farmers under the exceptional circumstances arrangements. His initial response was not all that encouraging, I have to say. However, I do not give in the first time around and I intend to talk to him again. People who earn money in industry pay taxes to the federal government, not to the state government. The government that collects the revenue from the various industries in Australia has, in my view, an obligation to provide assistance if it is determined that assistance is necessary for the industry. I am seeking the federal minister’s consideration of the plight of rock lobster fishermen in the same context as the plight of farmers under the exceptional circumstances arrangements. It can be argued that this is an exceptional circumstance. (2) The rock lobster fishery is an input-managed fishery and we are considering moving to a quota system. The Rock Lobster Industry Advisory Committee has been asked to provide me with its advice on a quota system. I inform the member that all the advice I have received so far about the quota system is that it will be extraordinarily expensive to implement in the short term, although I personally have some sympathy for that course of action. It may be easier to manage lower catches in a quota system to enable the fishery to adjust better to the marketplace than under an input system. Work is being done on that and I will not make a decision in a hurry without knowing all the consequences of moving from one system to another. (3) The member would know, because he introduced it, that the integrated fishery management system is a process whereby fisheries are assessed on the basis of what proportion of the catch ought to go to recreational fishers and what proportion ought to go to professional fishers. The rock lobster fishery was the first fishery that was assessed. Ninety-five per cent of the catch is allocated to the commercial fishers and five per cent is allocated to recreational fishers. Any reduction in the total allowable catch—if I can use that expression because it is not exactly what it is; it is a harvest figure that we are seeking to achieve—should be shared by both recreational and commercial fishers. However, I am advised that the advice of the Department of Fisheries is that amateur fishers take only about two per cent of the rock lobster catch. I am having discussions with Recfishwest and other fishers about how to manage this. My view is that the pain must be spread amongst both sectors. I desperately hope that in the next few years the puerulus count does recover. In the past, when strong measures were taken, the industry rebounded and there was a very significant growth rate during the late 1990s and into the twenty-first century. We have taken measures that I hope are successful. I am sorry to have taken so long to answer the question but it was quite a detailed question. I was rather amused at the interjection of Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich earlier because I recall that when she was a minister, she made vast numbers of ministerial statements during answers to questions.
(3) What measures will the minister take to ensure that recreational rock lobster fishers are playing their part in preserving rock lobster stocks? Hon NORMAN MOORE replied: I thank the member for the question. (1) Some preliminary thoughts have been given to establishing a fishery adjustment scheme but the quantity of funds that may be required are very significant indeed. I would have thought that an adjustment scheme that was perhaps beyond the capacity of the taxpayer to fund would be very difficult to implement. As the member knows, I have contacted the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Hon Tony Burke, to ask whether he will give consideration to the plight of the rock lobster fishermen in the same context in which he considers farmers under the exceptional circumstances arrangements. His initial response was not all that encouraging, I have to say. However, I do not give in the first time around and I intend to talk to him again. People who earn money in industry pay taxes to the federal government, not to the state government. The government that collects the revenue from the various industries in Australia has, in my view, an obligation to provide assistance if it is determined that assistance is necessary for the industry. I am seeking the federal minister’s consideration of the plight of rock lobster fishermen in the same context as the plight of farmers under the exceptional circumstances arrangements. It can be argued that this is an exceptional circumstance. (2) The rock lobster fishery is an input-managed fishery and we are considering moving to a quota system. The Rock Lobster Industry Advisory Committee has been asked to provide me with its advice on a quota system. I inform the member that all the advice I have received so far about the quota system is that it will be extraordinarily expensive to implement in the short term, although I personally have some sympathy for that course of action. It may be easier to manage lower catches in a quota system to enable the fishery to adjust better to the marketplace than under an input system. Work is being done on that and I will not make a decision in a hurry without knowing all the consequences of moving from one system to another. (3) The member would know, because he introduced it, that the integrated fishery management system is a process whereby fisheries are assessed on the basis of what proportion of the catch ought to go to recreational fishers and what proportion ought to go to professional fishers. The rock lobster fishery was the first fishery that was assessed. Ninety-five per cent of the catch is allocated to the commercial fishers and five per cent is allocated to recreational fishers. Any reduction in the total allowable catch—if I can use that expression because it is not exactly what it is; it is a harvest figure that we are seeking to achieve—should be shared by both recreational and commercial fishers. However, I am advised that the advice of the Department of Fisheries is that amateur fishers take only about two per cent of the rock lobster catch. I am having discussions with Recfishwest and other fishers about how to manage this. My view is that the pain must be spread amongst both sectors. I desperately hope that in the next few years the puerulus count does recover. In the past, when strong measures were taken, the industry rebounded and there was a very significant growth rate during the late 1990s and into the twenty-first century. We have taken measures that I hope are successful. I am sorry to have taken so long to answer the question but it was quite a detailed question. I was rather amused at the interjection of Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich earlier because I recall that when she was a minister, she made vast numbers of ministerial statements during answers to questions.
Hon NORMAN MOORE replied: I thank the member for the question. (1) Some preliminary thoughts have been given to establishing a fishery adjustment scheme but the quantity of funds that may be required are very significant indeed. I would have thought that an adjustment scheme that was perhaps beyond the capacity of the taxpayer to fund would be very difficult to implement. As the member knows, I have contacted the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Hon Tony Burke, to ask whether he will give consideration to the plight of the rock lobster fishermen in the same context in which he considers farmers under the exceptional circumstances arrangements. His initial response was not all that encouraging, I have to say. However, I do not give in the first time around and I intend to talk to him again. People who earn money in industry pay taxes to the federal government, not to the state government. The government that collects the revenue from the various industries in Australia has, in my view, an obligation to provide assistance if it is determined that assistance is necessary for the industry. I am seeking the federal minister’s consideration of the plight of rock lobster fishermen in the same context as the plight of farmers under the exceptional circumstances arrangements. It can be argued that this is an exceptional circumstance. (2) The rock lobster fishery is an input-managed fishery and we are considering moving to a quota system. The Rock Lobster Industry Advisory Committee has been asked to provide me with its advice on a quota system. I inform the member that all the advice I have received so far about the quota system is that it will be extraordinarily expensive to implement in the short term, although I personally have some sympathy for that course of action. It may be easier to manage lower catches in a quota system to enable the fishery to adjust better to the marketplace than under an input system. Work is being done on that and I will not make a decision in a hurry without knowing all the consequences of moving from one system to another. (3) The member would know, because he introduced it, that the integrated fishery management system is a process whereby fisheries are assessed on the basis of what proportion of the catch ought to go to recreational fishers and what proportion ought to go to professional fishers. The rock lobster fishery was the first fishery that was assessed. Ninety-five per cent of the catch is allocated to the commercial fishers and five per cent is allocated to recreational fishers. Any reduction in the total allowable catch—if I can use that expression because it is not exactly what it is; it is a harvest figure that we are seeking to achieve—should be shared by both recreational and commercial fishers. However, I am advised that the advice of the Department of Fisheries is that amateur fishers take only about two per cent of the rock lobster catch. I am having discussions with Recfishwest and other fishers about how to manage this. My view is that the pain must be spread amongst both sectors. I desperately hope that in the next few years the puerulus count does recover. In the past, when strong measures were taken, the industry rebounded and there was a very significant growth rate during the late 1990s and into the twenty-first century. We have taken measures that I hope are successful. I am sorry to have taken so long to answer the question but it was quite a detailed question. I was rather amused at the interjection of Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich earlier because I recall that when she was a minister, she made vast numbers of ministerial statements during answers to questions.
I thank the member for the question. (1) Some preliminary thoughts have been given to establishing a fishery adjustment scheme but the quantity of funds that may be required are very significant indeed. I would have thought that an adjustment scheme that was perhaps beyond the capacity of the taxpayer to fund would be very difficult to implement. As the member knows, I have contacted the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Hon Tony Burke, to ask whether he will give consideration to the plight of the rock lobster fishermen in the same context in which he considers farmers under the exceptional circumstances arrangements. His initial response was not all that encouraging, I have to say. However, I do not give in the first time around and I intend to talk to him again. People who earn money in industry pay taxes to the federal government, not to the state government. The government that collects the revenue from the various industries in Australia has, in my view, an obligation to provide assistance if it is determined that assistance is necessary for the industry. I am seeking the federal minister’s consideration of the plight of rock lobster fishermen in the same context as the plight of farmers under the exceptional circumstances arrangements. It can be argued that this is an exceptional circumstance. (2) The rock lobster fishery is an input-managed fishery and we are considering moving to a quota system. The Rock Lobster Industry Advisory Committee has been asked to provide me with its advice on a quota system. I inform the member that all the advice I have received so far about the quota system is that it will be extraordinarily expensive to implement in the short term, although I personally have some sympathy for that course of action. It may be easier to manage lower catches in a quota system to enable the fishery to adjust better to the marketplace than under an input system. Work is being done on that and I will not make a decision in a hurry without knowing all the consequences of moving from one system to another. (3) The member would know, because he introduced it, that the integrated fishery management system is a process whereby fisheries are assessed on the basis of what proportion of the catch ought to go to recreational fishers and what proportion ought to go to professional fishers. The rock lobster fishery was the first fishery that was assessed. Ninety-five per cent of the catch is allocated to the commercial fishers and five per cent is allocated to recreational fishers. Any reduction in the total allowable catch—if I can use that expression because it is not exactly what it is; it is a harvest figure that we are seeking to achieve—should be shared by both recreational and commercial fishers. However, I am advised that the advice of the Department of Fisheries is that amateur fishers take only about two per cent of the rock lobster catch. I am having discussions with Recfishwest and other fishers about how to manage this. My view is that the pain must be spread amongst both sectors. I desperately hope that in the next few years the puerulus count does recover. In the past, when strong measures were taken, the industry rebounded and there was a very significant growth rate during the late 1990s and into the twenty-first century. We have taken measures that I hope are successful. I am sorry to have taken so long to answer the question but it was quite a detailed question. I was rather amused at the interjection of Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich earlier because I recall that when she was a minister, she made vast numbers of ministerial statements during answers to questions.
(1) Some preliminary thoughts have been given to establishing a fishery adjustment scheme but the quantity of funds that may be required are very significant indeed. I would have thought that an adjustment scheme that was perhaps beyond the capacity of the taxpayer to fund would be very difficult to implement. As the member knows, I have contacted the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Hon Tony Burke, to ask whether he will give consideration to the plight of the rock lobster fishermen in the same context in which he considers farmers under the exceptional circumstances arrangements. His initial response was not all that encouraging, I have to say. However, I do not give in the first time around and I intend to talk to him again. People who earn money in industry pay taxes to the federal government, not to the state government. The government that collects the revenue from the various industries in Australia has, in my view, an obligation to provide assistance if it is determined that assistance is necessary for the industry. I am seeking the federal minister’s consideration of the plight of rock lobster fishermen in the same context as the plight of farmers under the exceptional circumstances arrangements. It can be argued that this is an exceptional circumstance. (2) The rock lobster fishery is an input-managed fishery and we are considering moving to a quota system. The Rock Lobster Industry Advisory Committee has been asked to provide me with its advice on a quota system. I inform the member that all the advice I have received so far about the quota system is that it will be extraordinarily expensive to implement in the short term, although I personally have some sympathy for that course of action. It may be easier to manage lower catches in a quota system to enable the fishery to adjust better to the marketplace than under an input system. Work is being done on that and I will not make a decision in a hurry without knowing all the consequences of moving from one system to another. (3) The member would know, because he introduced it, that the integrated fishery management system is a process whereby fisheries are assessed on the basis of what proportion of the catch ought to go to recreational fishers and what proportion ought to go to professional fishers. The rock lobster fishery was the first fishery that was assessed. Ninety-five per cent of the catch is allocated to the commercial fishers and five per cent is allocated to recreational fishers. Any reduction in the total allowable catch—if I can use that expression because it is not exactly what it is; it is a harvest figure that we are seeking to achieve—should be shared by both recreational and commercial fishers. However, I am advised that the advice of the Department of Fisheries is that amateur fishers take only about two per cent of the rock lobster catch. I am having discussions with Recfishwest and other fishers about how to manage this. My view is that the pain must be spread amongst both sectors. I desperately hope that in the next few years the puerulus count does recover. In the past, when strong measures were taken, the industry rebounded and there was a very significant growth rate during the late 1990s and into the twenty-first century. We have taken measures that I hope are successful. I am sorry to have taken so long to answer the question but it was quite a detailed question. I was rather amused at the interjection of Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich earlier because I recall that when she was a minister, she made vast numbers of ministerial statements during answers to questions.
(2) The rock lobster fishery is an input-managed fishery and we are considering moving to a quota system. The Rock Lobster Industry Advisory Committee has been asked to provide me with its advice on a quota system. I inform the member that all the advice I have received so far about the quota system is that it will be extraordinarily expensive to implement in the short term, although I personally have some sympathy for that course of action. It may be easier to manage lower catches in a quota system to enable the fishery to adjust better to the marketplace than under an input system. Work is being done on that and I will not make a decision in a hurry without knowing all the consequences of moving from one system to another. (3) The member would know, because he introduced it, that the integrated fishery management system is a process whereby fisheries are assessed on the basis of what proportion of the catch ought to go to recreational fishers and what proportion ought to go to professional fishers. The rock lobster fishery was the first fishery that was assessed. Ninety-five per cent of the catch is allocated to the commercial fishers and five per cent is allocated to recreational fishers. Any reduction in the total allowable catch—if I can use that expression because it is not exactly what it is; it is a harvest figure that we are seeking to achieve—should be shared by both recreational and commercial fishers. However, I am advised that the advice of the Department of Fisheries is that amateur fishers take only about two per cent of the rock lobster catch. I am having discussions with Recfishwest and other fishers about how to manage this. My view is that the pain must be spread amongst both sectors. I desperately hope that in the next few years the puerulus count does recover. In the past, when strong measures were taken, the industry rebounded and there was a very significant growth rate during the late 1990s and into the twenty-first century. We have taken measures that I hope are successful. I am sorry to have taken so long to answer the question but it was quite a detailed question. I was rather amused at the interjection of Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich earlier because I recall that when she was a minister, she made vast numbers of ministerial statements during answers to questions.
(3) The member would know, because he introduced it, that the integrated fishery management system is a process whereby fisheries are assessed on the basis of what proportion of the catch ought to go to recreational fishers and what proportion ought to go to professional fishers. The rock lobster fishery was the first fishery that was assessed. Ninety-five per cent of the catch is allocated to the commercial fishers and five per cent is allocated to recreational fishers. Any reduction in the total allowable catch—if I can use that expression because it is not exactly what it is; it is a harvest figure that we are seeking to achieve—should be shared by both recreational and commercial fishers. However, I am advised that the advice of the Department of Fisheries is that amateur fishers take only about two per cent of the rock lobster catch. I am having discussions with Recfishwest and other fishers about how to manage this. My view is that the pain must be spread amongst both sectors. I desperately hope that in the next few years the puerulus count does recover. In the past, when strong measures were taken, the industry rebounded and there was a very significant growth rate during the late 1990s and into the twenty-first century. We have taken measures that I hope are successful. I am sorry to have taken so long to answer the question but it was quite a detailed question. I was rather amused at the interjection of Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich earlier because I recall that when she was a minister, she made vast numbers of ministerial statements during answers to questions.
I am sorry to have taken so long to answer the question but it was quite a detailed question. I was rather amused at the interjection of Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich earlier because I recall that when she was a minister, she made vast numbers of ministerial statements during answers to questions.
(1) Will the minister consider establishing a fisheries adjustment scheme for this fishery? (2) Is the minister prepared to move the fishery from input management principles to quota management principles? (3) What measures will the minister take to ensure that recreational rock lobster fishers are playing their part in preserving rock lobster stocks? Hon NORMAN MOORE replied: I thank the member for the question. (1) Some preliminary thoughts have been given to establishing a fishery adjustment scheme but the quantity of funds that may be required are very significant indeed. I would have thought that an adjustment scheme that was perhaps beyond the capacity of the taxpayer to fund would be very difficult to implement. As the member knows, I have contacted the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Hon Tony Burke, to ask whether he will give consideration to the plight of the rock lobster fishermen in the same context in which he considers farmers under the exceptional circumstances arrangements. His initial response was not all that encouraging, I have to say. However, I do not give in the first time around and I intend to talk to him again. People who earn money in industry pay taxes to the federal government, not to the state government. The government that collects the revenue from the various industries in Australia has, in my view, an obligation to provide assistance if it is determined that assistance is necessary for the industry. I am seeking the federal minister’s consideration of the plight of rock lobster fishermen in the same context as the plight of farmers under the exceptional circumstances arrangements. It can be argued that this is an exceptional circumstance. (2) The rock lobster fishery is an input-managed fishery and we are considering moving to a quota system. The Rock Lobster Industry Advisory Committee has been asked to provide me with its advice on a quota system. I inform the member that all the advice I have received so far about the quota system is that it will be extraordinarily expensive to implement in the short term, although I personally have some sympathy for that course of action. It may be easier to manage lower catches in a quota system to enable the fishery to adjust better to the marketplace than under an input system. Work is being done on that and I will not make a decision in a hurry without knowing all the consequences of moving from one system to another. (3) The member would know, because he introduced it, that the integrated fishery management system is a process whereby fisheries are assessed on the basis of what proportion of the catch ought to go to recreational fishers and what proportion ought to go to professional fishers. The rock lobster fishery was the first fishery that was assessed. Ninety-five per cent of the catch is allocated to the commercial fishers and five per cent is allocated to recreational fishers. Any reduction in the total allowable catch—if I can use that expression because it is not exactly what it is; it is a harvest figure that we are seeking to achieve—should be shared by both recreational and commercial fishers. However, I am advised that the advice of the Department of Fisheries is that amateur fishers take only about two per cent of the rock lobster catch. I am having discussions with Recfishwest and other fishers about how to manage this. My view is that the pain must be spread amongst both sectors. I desperately hope that in the next few years the puerulus count does recover. In the past, when strong measures were taken, the industry rebounded and there was a very significant growth rate during the late 1990s and into the twenty-first century. We have taken measures that I hope are successful. I am sorry to have taken so long to answer the question but it was quite a detailed question. I was rather amused at the interjection of Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich earlier because I recall that when she was a minister, she made vast numbers of ministerial statements during answers to questions.
(2) Is the minister prepared to move the fishery from input management principles to quota management principles? (3) What measures will the minister take to ensure that recreational rock lobster fishers are playing their part in preserving rock lobster stocks? Hon NORMAN MOORE replied: I thank the member for the question. (1) Some preliminary thoughts have been given to establishing a fishery adjustment scheme but the quantity of funds that may be required are very significant indeed. I would have thought that an adjustment scheme that was perhaps beyond the capacity of the taxpayer to fund would be very difficult to implement. As the member knows, I have contacted the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Hon Tony Burke, to ask whether he will give consideration to the plight of the rock lobster fishermen in the same context in which he considers farmers under the exceptional circumstances arrangements. His initial response was not all that encouraging, I have to say. However, I do not give in the first time around and I intend to talk to him again. People who earn money in industry pay taxes to the federal government, not to the state government. The government that collects the revenue from the various industries in Australia has, in my view, an obligation to provide assistance if it is determined that assistance is necessary for the industry. I am seeking the federal minister’s consideration of the plight of rock lobster fishermen in the same context as the plight of farmers under the exceptional circumstances arrangements. It can be argued that this is an exceptional circumstance. (2) The rock lobster fishery is an input-managed fishery and we are considering moving to a quota system. The Rock Lobster Industry Advisory Committee has been asked to provide me with its advice on a quota system. I inform the member that all the advice I have received so far about the quota system is that it will be extraordinarily expensive to implement in the short term, although I personally have some sympathy for that course of action. It may be easier to manage lower catches in a quota system to enable the fishery to adjust better to the marketplace than under an input system. Work is being done on that and I will not make a decision in a hurry without knowing all the consequences of moving from one system to another. (3) The member would know, because he introduced it, that the integrated fishery management system is a process whereby fisheries are assessed on the basis of what proportion of the catch ought to go to recreational fishers and what proportion ought to go to professional fishers. The rock lobster fishery was the first fishery that was assessed. Ninety-five per cent of the catch is allocated to the commercial fishers and five per cent is allocated to recreational fishers. Any reduction in the total allowable catch—if I can use that expression because it is not exactly what it is; it is a harvest figure that we are seeking to achieve—should be shared by both recreational and commercial fishers. However, I am advised that the advice of the Department of Fisheries is that amateur fishers take only about two per cent of the rock lobster catch. I am having discussions with Recfishwest and other fishers about how to manage this. My view is that the pain must be spread amongst both sectors. I desperately hope that in the next few years the puerulus count does recover. In the past, when strong measures were taken, the industry rebounded and there was a very significant growth rate during the late 1990s and into the twenty-first century. We have taken measures that I hope are successful. I am sorry to have taken so long to answer the question but it was quite a detailed question. I was rather amused at the interjection of Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich earlier because I recall that when she was a minister, she made vast numbers of ministerial statements during answers to questions.
(3) What measures will the minister take to ensure that recreational rock lobster fishers are playing their part in preserving rock lobster stocks? Hon NORMAN MOORE replied: I thank the member for the question. (1) Some preliminary thoughts have been given to establishing a fishery adjustment scheme but the quantity of funds that may be required are very significant indeed. I would have thought that an adjustment scheme that was perhaps beyond the capacity of the taxpayer to fund would be very difficult to implement. As the member knows, I have contacted the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Hon Tony Burke, to ask whether he will give consideration to the plight of the rock lobster fishermen in the same context in which he considers farmers under the exceptional circumstances arrangements. His initial response was not all that encouraging, I have to say. However, I do not give in the first time around and I intend to talk to him again. People who earn money in industry pay taxes to the federal government, not to the state government. The government that collects the revenue from the various industries in Australia has, in my view, an obligation to provide assistance if it is determined that assistance is necessary for the industry. I am seeking the federal minister’s consideration of the plight of rock lobster fishermen in the same context as the plight of farmers under the exceptional circumstances arrangements. It can be argued that this is an exceptional circumstance. (2) The rock lobster fishery is an input-managed fishery and we are considering moving to a quota system. The Rock Lobster Industry Advisory Committee has been asked to provide me with its advice on a quota system. I inform the member that all the advice I have received so far about the quota system is that it will be extraordinarily expensive to implement in the short term, although I personally have some sympathy for that course of action. It may be easier to manage lower catches in a quota system to enable the fishery to adjust better to the marketplace than under an input system. Work is being done on that and I will not make a decision in a hurry without knowing all the consequences of moving from one system to another. (3) The member would know, because he introduced it, that the integrated fishery management system is a process whereby fisheries are assessed on the basis of what proportion of the catch ought to go to recreational fishers and what proportion ought to go to professional fishers. The rock lobster fishery was the first fishery that was assessed. Ninety-five per cent of the catch is allocated to the commercial fishers and five per cent is allocated to recreational fishers. Any reduction in the total allowable catch—if I can use that expression because it is not exactly what it is; it is a harvest figure that we are seeking to achieve—should be shared by both recreational and commercial fishers. However, I am advised that the advice of the Department of Fisheries is that amateur fishers take only about two per cent of the rock lobster catch. I am having discussions with Recfishwest and other fishers about how to manage this. My view is that the pain must be spread amongst both sectors. I desperately hope that in the next few years the puerulus count does recover. In the past, when strong measures were taken, the industry rebounded and there was a very significant growth rate during the late 1990s and into the twenty-first century. We have taken measures that I hope are successful. I am sorry to have taken so long to answer the question but it was quite a detailed question. I was rather amused at the interjection of Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich earlier because I recall that when she was a minister, she made vast numbers of ministerial statements during answers to questions.
Hon NORMAN MOORE replied: I thank the member for the question. (1) Some preliminary thoughts have been given to establishing a fishery adjustment scheme but the quantity of funds that may be required are very significant indeed. I would have thought that an adjustment scheme that was perhaps beyond the capacity of the taxpayer to fund would be very difficult to implement. As the member knows, I have contacted the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Hon Tony Burke, to ask whether he will give consideration to the plight of the rock lobster fishermen in the same context in which he considers farmers under the exceptional circumstances arrangements. His initial response was not all that encouraging, I have to say. However, I do not give in the first time around and I intend to talk to him again. People who earn money in industry pay taxes to the federal government, not to the state government. The government that collects the revenue from the various industries in Australia has, in my view, an obligation to provide assistance if it is determined that assistance is necessary for the industry. I am seeking the federal minister’s consideration of the plight of rock lobster fishermen in the same context as the plight of farmers under the exceptional circumstances arrangements. It can be argued that this is an exceptional circumstance. (2) The rock lobster fishery is an input-managed fishery and we are considering moving to a quota system. The Rock Lobster Industry Advisory Committee has been asked to provide me with its advice on a quota system. I inform the member that all the advice I have received so far about the quota system is that it will be extraordinarily expensive to implement in the short term, although I personally have some sympathy for that course of action. It may be easier to manage lower catches in a quota system to enable the fishery to adjust better to the marketplace than under an input system. Work is being done on that and I will not make a decision in a hurry without knowing all the consequences of moving from one system to another. (3) The member would know, because he introduced it, that the integrated fishery management system is a process whereby fisheries are assessed on the basis of what proportion of the catch ought to go to recreational fishers and what proportion ought to go to professional fishers. The rock lobster fishery was the first fishery that was assessed. Ninety-five per cent of the catch is allocated to the commercial fishers and five per cent is allocated to recreational fishers. Any reduction in the total allowable catch—if I can use that expression because it is not exactly what it is; it is a harvest figure that we are seeking to achieve—should be shared by both recreational and commercial fishers. However, I am advised that the advice of the Department of Fisheries is that amateur fishers take only about two per cent of the rock lobster catch. I am having discussions with Recfishwest and other fishers about how to manage this. My view is that the pain must be spread amongst both sectors. I desperately hope that in the next few years the puerulus count does recover. In the past, when strong measures were taken, the industry rebounded and there was a very significant growth rate during the late 1990s and into the twenty-first century. We have taken measures that I hope are successful. I am sorry to have taken so long to answer the question but it was quite a detailed question. I was rather amused at the interjection of Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich earlier because I recall that when she was a minister, she made vast numbers of ministerial statements during answers to questions.
I thank the member for the question. (1) Some preliminary thoughts have been given to establishing a fishery adjustment scheme but the quantity of funds that may be required are very significant indeed. I would have thought that an adjustment scheme that was perhaps beyond the capacity of the taxpayer to fund would be very difficult to implement. As the member knows, I have contacted the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Hon Tony Burke, to ask whether he will give consideration to the plight of the rock lobster fishermen in the same context in which he considers farmers under the exceptional circumstances arrangements. His initial response was not all that encouraging, I have to say. However, I do not give in the first time around and I intend to talk to him again. People who earn money in industry pay taxes to the federal government, not to the state government. The government that collects the revenue from the various industries in Australia has, in my view, an obligation to provide assistance if it is determined that assistance is necessary for the industry. I am seeking the federal minister’s consideration of the plight of rock lobster fishermen in the same context as the plight of farmers under the exceptional circumstances arrangements. It can be argued that this is an exceptional circumstance. (2) The rock lobster fishery is an input-managed fishery and we are considering moving to a quota system. The Rock Lobster Industry Advisory Committee has been asked to provide me with its advice on a quota system. I inform the member that all the advice I have received so far about the quota system is that it will be extraordinarily expensive to implement in the short term, although I personally have some sympathy for that course of action. It may be easier to manage lower catches in a quota system to enable the fishery to adjust better to the marketplace than under an input system. Work is being done on that and I will not make a decision in a hurry without knowing all the consequences of moving from one system to another. (3) The member would know, because he introduced it, that the integrated fishery management system is a process whereby fisheries are assessed on the basis of what proportion of the catch ought to go to recreational fishers and what proportion ought to go to professional fishers. The rock lobster fishery was the first fishery that was assessed. Ninety-five per cent of the catch is allocated to the commercial fishers and five per cent is allocated to recreational fishers. Any reduction in the total allowable catch—if I can use that expression because it is not exactly what it is; it is a harvest figure that we are seeking to achieve—should be shared by both recreational and commercial fishers. However, I am advised that the advice of the Department of Fisheries is that amateur fishers take only about two per cent of the rock lobster catch. I am having discussions with Recfishwest and other fishers about how to manage this. My view is that the pain must be spread amongst both sectors. I desperately hope that in the next few years the puerulus count does recover. In the past, when strong measures were taken, the industry rebounded and there was a very significant growth rate during the late 1990s and into the twenty-first century. We have taken measures that I hope are successful. I am sorry to have taken so long to answer the question but it was quite a detailed question. I was rather amused at the interjection of Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich earlier because I recall that when she was a minister, she made vast numbers of ministerial statements during answers to questions.
(1) Some preliminary thoughts have been given to establishing a fishery adjustment scheme but the quantity of funds that may be required are very significant indeed. I would have thought that an adjustment scheme that was perhaps beyond the capacity of the taxpayer to fund would be very difficult to implement. As the member knows, I have contacted the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Hon Tony Burke, to ask whether he will give consideration to the plight of the rock lobster fishermen in the same context in which he considers farmers under the exceptional circumstances arrangements. His initial response was not all that encouraging, I have to say. However, I do not give in the first time around and I intend to talk to him again. People who earn money in industry pay taxes to the federal government, not to the state government. The government that collects the revenue from the various industries in Australia has, in my view, an obligation to provide assistance if it is determined that assistance is necessary for the industry. I am seeking the federal minister’s consideration of the plight of rock lobster fishermen in the same context as the plight of farmers under the exceptional circumstances arrangements. It can be argued that this is an exceptional circumstance. (2) The rock lobster fishery is an input-managed fishery and we are considering moving to a quota system. The Rock Lobster Industry Advisory Committee has been asked to provide me with its advice on a quota system. I inform the member that all the advice I have received so far about the quota system is that it will be extraordinarily expensive to implement in the short term, although I personally have some sympathy for that course of action. It may be easier to manage lower catches in a quota system to enable the fishery to adjust better to the marketplace than under an input system. Work is being done on that and I will not make a decision in a hurry without knowing all the consequences of moving from one system to another. (3) The member would know, because he introduced it, that the integrated fishery management system is a process whereby fisheries are assessed on the basis of what proportion of the catch ought to go to recreational fishers and what proportion ought to go to professional fishers. The rock lobster fishery was the first fishery that was assessed. Ninety-five per cent of the catch is allocated to the commercial fishers and five per cent is allocated to recreational fishers. Any reduction in the total allowable catch—if I can use that expression because it is not exactly what it is; it is a harvest figure that we are seeking to achieve—should be shared by both recreational and commercial fishers. However, I am advised that the advice of the Department of Fisheries is that amateur fishers take only about two per cent of the rock lobster catch. I am having discussions with Recfishwest and other fishers about how to manage this. My view is that the pain must be spread amongst both sectors. I desperately hope that in the next few years the puerulus count does recover. In the past, when strong measures were taken, the industry rebounded and there was a very significant growth rate during the late 1990s and into the twenty-first century. We have taken measures that I hope are successful. I am sorry to have taken so long to answer the question but it was quite a detailed question. I was rather amused at the interjection of Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich earlier because I recall that when she was a minister, she made vast numbers of ministerial statements during answers to questions.
(2) The rock lobster fishery is an input-managed fishery and we are considering moving to a quota system. The Rock Lobster Industry Advisory Committee has been asked to provide me with its advice on a quota system. I inform the member that all the advice I have received so far about the quota system is that it will be extraordinarily expensive to implement in the short term, although I personally have some sympathy for that course of action. It may be easier to manage lower catches in a quota system to enable the fishery to adjust better to the marketplace than under an input system. Work is being done on that and I will not make a decision in a hurry without knowing all the consequences of moving from one system to another. (3) The member would know, because he introduced it, that the integrated fishery management system is a process whereby fisheries are assessed on the basis of what proportion of the catch ought to go to recreational fishers and what proportion ought to go to professional fishers. The rock lobster fishery was the first fishery that was assessed. Ninety-five per cent of the catch is allocated to the commercial fishers and five per cent is allocated to recreational fishers. Any reduction in the total allowable catch—if I can use that expression because it is not exactly what it is; it is a harvest figure that we are seeking to achieve—should be shared by both recreational and commercial fishers. However, I am advised that the advice of the Department of Fisheries is that amateur fishers take only about two per cent of the rock lobster catch. I am having discussions with Recfishwest and other fishers about how to manage this. My view is that the pain must be spread amongst both sectors. I desperately hope that in the next few years the puerulus count does recover. In the past, when strong measures were taken, the industry rebounded and there was a very significant growth rate during the late 1990s and into the twenty-first century. We have taken measures that I hope are successful. I am sorry to have taken so long to answer the question but it was quite a detailed question. I was rather amused at the interjection of Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich earlier because I recall that when she was a minister, she made vast numbers of ministerial statements during answers to questions.
(3) The member would know, because he introduced it, that the integrated fishery management system is a process whereby fisheries are assessed on the basis of what proportion of the catch ought to go to recreational fishers and what proportion ought to go to professional fishers. The rock lobster fishery was the first fishery that was assessed. Ninety-five per cent of the catch is allocated to the commercial fishers and five per cent is allocated to recreational fishers. Any reduction in the total allowable catch—if I can use that expression because it is not exactly what it is; it is a harvest figure that we are seeking to achieve—should be shared by both recreational and commercial fishers. However, I am advised that the advice of the Department of Fisheries is that amateur fishers take only about two per cent of the rock lobster catch. I am having discussions with Recfishwest and other fishers about how to manage this. My view is that the pain must be spread amongst both sectors. I desperately hope that in the next few years the puerulus count does recover. In the past, when strong measures were taken, the industry rebounded and there was a very significant growth rate during the late 1990s and into the twenty-first century. We have taken measures that I hope are successful. I am sorry to have taken so long to answer the question but it was quite a detailed question. I was rather amused at the interjection of Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich earlier because I recall that when she was a minister, she made vast numbers of ministerial statements during answers to questions.
I am sorry to have taken so long to answer the question but it was quite a detailed question. I was rather amused at the interjection of Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich earlier because I recall that when she was a minister, she made vast numbers of ministerial statements during answers to questions.
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