❓ A parliamentary question regarding the Western Rock Lobster fishery reform, focusing on the Premier's task force and domestic supply. The Minister defends the government's actions and questions the opposition's support for domestic allocation.
AnsweredQoN 235Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WESTERN ROCK LOBSTER
FISHERY — REFORM
235. Mr
I.C. BLAYNEY to the Minister for Fisheries:
I refer to the minister's
incompetent attempt to nationalise the crayfishing industry and the need for
the Premier to take control following that failure.
Mr P. Papalia interjected.
The SPEAKER : Minister of
Tourism, you have been on your feet for a while, but now I call you to order
for the first time.
Mr I.C. BLAYNEY : Will the
minister please explain to the house why the Premier's task force has
not yet met and outline when they will meet, or is the minister unaware of when
it will meet?
FISHERY — REFORM
235. Mr
I.C. BLAYNEY to the Minister for Fisheries:
I refer to the minister's
incompetent attempt to nationalise the crayfishing industry and the need for
the Premier to take control following that failure.
Mr P. Papalia interjected.
The SPEAKER : Minister of
Tourism, you have been on your feet for a while, but now I call you to order
for the first time.
Mr I.C. BLAYNEY : Will the
minister please explain to the house why the Premier's task force has
not yet met and outline when they will meet, or is the minister unaware of when
it will meet?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question.
I am pleased that he has shown an interest in something while he has been here
this term of government.
The agreement that we reached with
the industry when the Premier and I met was that 315 tonnes would be allocated,
the majority of which would go to the domestic market. There was agreement
around the table that that should happen. The agreement was that the details of
how that would be allocated would be worked out by the end of March. There was
also an agreement that a task force would be established to look at other
issues and other ways of creating jobs and better utilising the resource. The
timetable for that to conclude was the end of September. The industry has
subsequently come back to us and said that it was unable to reach agreement on
the terms of domestic supply by the end of March, so the Premier agreed to
extend that deadline until the end of April. We are still in discussions with
the industry about how that domestic supply might work.
On the issue of the task force, it
has been my understanding that the department has appointed a facilitator to
chair that task force. That person has had meetings with individual industry
players and my understanding is that the task force will meet some time in the
beginning of May. Given that the industry has said that it was having trouble
dedicating the resources to sorting out domestic lobster issues, I would have
thought it is in its interest—I would hope the member would be
encouraging them—to sit down with us to nut out the details of a domestic
supply arrangement by the end of April. One of the questions I have for the
member is: does he actually support a domestic supply allocation for Western Australians?
Certainly, the feedback I get from a lot of people in the midwest and a lot of
people in Geraldton is that they are very excited about the tourism and
hospitality opportunities there would be if more lobster were available in the
local market. My question to the member for Geraldton —
Point of Order
Mr S.K. L'ESTRANGE :
Standing order 75 does not permit questions asked of opposition members.
Mr M.P. Murray : It is
rhetorical.
Mr S.K. L'ESTRANGE : No, it is not. He is
asking a question. Under the standing orders he is not allowed to.
The SPEAKER : It is just part of the debate. That
standing order actually means that the government cannot ask you, an opposition
member, a question, but you can debate. You can talk and ask questions like
that. You cannot ask an official question of the 11 questions that we have
during the day.
Mr S.K. L'Estrange : He is actually trying to
get the member for Geraldton to answer.
The SPEAKER : That happens all the time.
Mr S.K. L'Estrange : He is not allowed to
answer; that is all.
The SPEAKER : He does not have to answer.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : The standing order, as I explained, is
that the government cannot ask the opposition a question. That is what the
standing order is. Minister, will you finish quickly, please.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr D.J. KELLY : We on this side of the house support
there being a domestic supply. The majority of the catch will always go to
China, but we could have a percentage of it here in Western Australia —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr D.J. KELLY : — for tourism operators, many
of whom operate out of the midwest, out of Geraldton, and who want to be able
to offer a crayfish experience to attract tourism and to attract jobs —
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr D.J. KELLY : —and need to be able to access
some crayfish locally.
Dr M.D. Nahan interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition!
Mr D.J. KELLY : We are determined to get that available
here in WA to boost Western Australian jobs and local businesses. We support
that on this side of the house.
Dr M.D. Nahan interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, I call you to
order for the third time.
Mr D.J. KELLY : The question to the opposition is: does it
support that job creation here in Western Australia or not?
I am pleased that he has shown an interest in something while he has been here
this term of government.
The agreement that we reached with
the industry when the Premier and I met was that 315 tonnes would be allocated,
the majority of which would go to the domestic market. There was agreement
around the table that that should happen. The agreement was that the details of
how that would be allocated would be worked out by the end of March. There was
also an agreement that a task force would be established to look at other
issues and other ways of creating jobs and better utilising the resource. The
timetable for that to conclude was the end of September. The industry has
subsequently come back to us and said that it was unable to reach agreement on
the terms of domestic supply by the end of March, so the Premier agreed to
extend that deadline until the end of April. We are still in discussions with
the industry about how that domestic supply might work.
On the issue of the task force, it
has been my understanding that the department has appointed a facilitator to
chair that task force. That person has had meetings with individual industry
players and my understanding is that the task force will meet some time in the
beginning of May. Given that the industry has said that it was having trouble
dedicating the resources to sorting out domestic lobster issues, I would have
thought it is in its interest—I would hope the member would be
encouraging them—to sit down with us to nut out the details of a domestic
supply arrangement by the end of April. One of the questions I have for the
member is: does he actually support a domestic supply allocation for Western Australians?
Certainly, the feedback I get from a lot of people in the midwest and a lot of
people in Geraldton is that they are very excited about the tourism and
hospitality opportunities there would be if more lobster were available in the
local market. My question to the member for Geraldton —
Point of Order
Mr S.K. L'ESTRANGE :
Standing order 75 does not permit questions asked of opposition members.
Mr M.P. Murray : It is
rhetorical.
Mr S.K. L'ESTRANGE : No, it is not. He is
asking a question. Under the standing orders he is not allowed to.
The SPEAKER : It is just part of the debate. That
standing order actually means that the government cannot ask you, an opposition
member, a question, but you can debate. You can talk and ask questions like
that. You cannot ask an official question of the 11 questions that we have
during the day.
Mr S.K. L'Estrange : He is actually trying to
get the member for Geraldton to answer.
The SPEAKER : That happens all the time.
Mr S.K. L'Estrange : He is not allowed to
answer; that is all.
The SPEAKER : He does not have to answer.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : The standing order, as I explained, is
that the government cannot ask the opposition a question. That is what the
standing order is. Minister, will you finish quickly, please.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr D.J. KELLY : We on this side of the house support
there being a domestic supply. The majority of the catch will always go to
China, but we could have a percentage of it here in Western Australia —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr D.J. KELLY : — for tourism operators, many
of whom operate out of the midwest, out of Geraldton, and who want to be able
to offer a crayfish experience to attract tourism and to attract jobs —
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr D.J. KELLY : —and need to be able to access
some crayfish locally.
Dr M.D. Nahan interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition!
Mr D.J. KELLY : We are determined to get that available
here in WA to boost Western Australian jobs and local businesses. We support
that on this side of the house.
Dr M.D. Nahan interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, I call you to
order for the third time.
Mr D.J. KELLY : The question to the opposition is: does it
support that job creation here in Western Australia or not?
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