Mr MILLS - 2000-05-11
This CLP government has supported the rights of recreational anglers through a range of initiatives over many years. Can the minister tell the Assembly what some of these initiatives are, and explain to Territorians how the Labor Party’s recently-released position paper merely steals these initiatives and paints them as Labor’s own?
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! Order!
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the opposition and Opposition Leader especially feigns amazement at this question, or feigns astonishment that I should be asked this question. Not from this side of the House.
In 6 years in this portfolio, and including yesterday, this opposition which claims to be deeply interested in recreational fishing has asked me 4 questions. It doesn’t seem to be a matter of high priority for the opposition.
This government has a proud record of supporting recreational fishing, and you only have to look at today’s paper to see the results of our initiatives in river closures. Those big barra they are catching are not by accident, although there are seasonal conditions attached to it. We would not have those big barras unless the previous minister embarked upon that program.
Much of Labor’s policy is directed at capital works and access. For 3 or 4 years we have had a program in terms of access. We have established ramps at Brown’s Creek by two, as a matter of fact. One was washed away in the floods. After consultation with the traditional owners and the Northern Land Council we have been able to establish another ramp about 4km upstream for $8000 a year. We have established ramps at the Finniss, access road and ramps at Salt Water Arm, and 3 access roads and ramps into the Roper River. We have established 2 access roads into Hardy’s Lagoon.
Ms Martin: It was the wrong lagoon, you great twit!
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr PALMER: The access road provided by my department’s program went to where AFANT pointed – to the exact spot where they pointed - and Parks and Wildlife from the other approach instituted the road through the park from the eastern side. There are 2 access roads to Hardy’s Lagoon.
They talk about consultation. We have established 7 Aboriginal consultative committees on coastal waters. We initially established the Tiwi Consultative Committee and I think the member for Arnhem or Arafura was there at the time of the inaugural meeting. One of the first issues raised with the Tiwis was the matter of access to the islands for recreational fishermen in Darwin. That has transpired. It has been a very effective committee. We have established committees covering the Elcho Island, English Company Islands from the Western Australian border to the Finnis, from the Finnis to the Coburg Peninsula, the Anindilyakwa Consultative Committee around Groote Eylandt, Blue Mud Bay, the Walker River and from Walker River to the Queensland border.
We closely consult with AFANT. AFANT is included in the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Recreational Fishing, but other committees which AFANT has an as-of-right of representation on are the Barramundi Fishery Advisory Committee, Spanish Mackerel Fishery Advisory Committee, Coastal Line Fishing Advisory Committee, Mud Crab Fishery Advisory Committee, Coburg Marine Park Advisory Committee, NT Fisheries Development Opportunities Advisory Committee and, as I said, Tiwi Coastal Waters Consultative Committee. We fund AFANT to the tune of $80 000 a year, plus office accommodation, plus vehicles.
This year we will be spending $300 000 on the refurbishment of the boat ramp at Dundee Beach. We will be properly rock lining the bund wall there. It is a very difficult location and we will be upgrading the safety aspects of that ramp.
We are currently putting out a discussion paper on recreational fishing in relation to size limits and possession limits, especially related to Golden Snapper. We have recognised there is a problem with Golden Snapper in that males don’t mature until they’re 45cm fork length, about 4 to 5 years old and 1.5 kilos. Females are substantially larger, about 62cm fork length, 9 years of age and 4.5 kilos. The discussion paper raises the issue of lowering the possession limit down to 5 fish for Golden Snapper and from 30 to 15 for any other species.
I will turn to the opposition’s recently announced policy on recreational fishing but, firstly, I will quote Maggie Hickey, then Leader of the Opposition, July 1997:
Recreational fishing policy: impoundments, boat ramps and artificial reefs. Territory Labor strongly supports programs aimed at expanding the program for man-made water impoundments and will ensure recreational fishing access to these impoundments areas.
I hope by way of interjection that you could explain to me what you meant by ‘impoundments’.
Mrs Hickey: Things move on.
Mr PALMER: Things move on, indeed they do. What is an empowerment? It is a dam. If it is not a dam, what is it? You are welcome to look in the dictionary. It is a dam. Nothing more than a dam. But the problem this mob has – and the Chief Minister pointed it out the other day – is they plagiarise policies. This time they have plagiarised their own without doing any editorial changes - or you support dams. This is Clare on Monday:
In addition to opening up new areas, government can improve access to fishing through capital works programs [which we do], building and developing better launch ramps and jetty sites, camping grounds, developing further impoundment areas.
What impoundments do you propose? Which creeks are you going to dam? Further impoundments - your policy on Monday. Where are these dams you propose to build? Please tell the media. The government is interested. We want to know what areas you have decided are fit for impounding. Tell us. Please tell. Let AFANT know what breeding areas you intend to impound. Let the land owners, be they private or Aboriginal, know what areas of their land you intend to inundate. You either did not edit your own plagiarised policy or you intend to build dams. Make it clear.
This government has a proud history of supporting recreational fishing and that will continue into the future.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! Order!
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the opposition and Opposition Leader especially feigns amazement at this question, or feigns astonishment that I should be asked this question. Not from this side of the House.
In 6 years in this portfolio, and including yesterday, this opposition which claims to be deeply interested in recreational fishing has asked me 4 questions. It doesn’t seem to be a matter of high priority for the opposition.
This government has a proud record of supporting recreational fishing, and you only have to look at today’s paper to see the results of our initiatives in river closures. Those big barra they are catching are not by accident, although there are seasonal conditions attached to it. We would not have those big barras unless the previous minister embarked upon that program.
Much of Labor’s policy is directed at capital works and access. For 3 or 4 years we have had a program in terms of access. We have established ramps at Brown’s Creek by two, as a matter of fact. One was washed away in the floods. After consultation with the traditional owners and the Northern Land Council we have been able to establish another ramp about 4km upstream for $8000 a year. We have established ramps at the Finniss, access road and ramps at Salt Water Arm, and 3 access roads and ramps into the Roper River. We have established 2 access roads into Hardy’s Lagoon.
Ms Martin: It was the wrong lagoon, you great twit!
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr PALMER: The access road provided by my department’s program went to where AFANT pointed – to the exact spot where they pointed - and Parks and Wildlife from the other approach instituted the road through the park from the eastern side. There are 2 access roads to Hardy’s Lagoon.
They talk about consultation. We have established 7 Aboriginal consultative committees on coastal waters. We initially established the Tiwi Consultative Committee and I think the member for Arnhem or Arafura was there at the time of the inaugural meeting. One of the first issues raised with the Tiwis was the matter of access to the islands for recreational fishermen in Darwin. That has transpired. It has been a very effective committee. We have established committees covering the Elcho Island, English Company Islands from the Western Australian border to the Finnis, from the Finnis to the Coburg Peninsula, the Anindilyakwa Consultative Committee around Groote Eylandt, Blue Mud Bay, the Walker River and from Walker River to the Queensland border.
We closely consult with AFANT. AFANT is included in the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Recreational Fishing, but other committees which AFANT has an as-of-right of representation on are the Barramundi Fishery Advisory Committee, Spanish Mackerel Fishery Advisory Committee, Coastal Line Fishing Advisory Committee, Mud Crab Fishery Advisory Committee, Coburg Marine Park Advisory Committee, NT Fisheries Development Opportunities Advisory Committee and, as I said, Tiwi Coastal Waters Consultative Committee. We fund AFANT to the tune of $80 000 a year, plus office accommodation, plus vehicles.
This year we will be spending $300 000 on the refurbishment of the boat ramp at Dundee Beach. We will be properly rock lining the bund wall there. It is a very difficult location and we will be upgrading the safety aspects of that ramp.
We are currently putting out a discussion paper on recreational fishing in relation to size limits and possession limits, especially related to Golden Snapper. We have recognised there is a problem with Golden Snapper in that males don’t mature until they’re 45cm fork length, about 4 to 5 years old and 1.5 kilos. Females are substantially larger, about 62cm fork length, 9 years of age and 4.5 kilos. The discussion paper raises the issue of lowering the possession limit down to 5 fish for Golden Snapper and from 30 to 15 for any other species.
I will turn to the opposition’s recently announced policy on recreational fishing but, firstly, I will quote Maggie Hickey, then Leader of the Opposition, July 1997:
Recreational fishing policy: impoundments, boat ramps and artificial reefs. Territory Labor strongly supports programs aimed at expanding the program for man-made water impoundments and will ensure recreational fishing access to these impoundments areas.
I hope by way of interjection that you could explain to me what you meant by ‘impoundments’.
Mrs Hickey: Things move on.
Mr PALMER: Things move on, indeed they do. What is an empowerment? It is a dam. If it is not a dam, what is it? You are welcome to look in the dictionary. It is a dam. Nothing more than a dam. But the problem this mob has – and the Chief Minister pointed it out the other day – is they plagiarise policies. This time they have plagiarised their own without doing any editorial changes - or you support dams. This is Clare on Monday:
In addition to opening up new areas, government can improve access to fishing through capital works programs [which we do], building and developing better launch ramps and jetty sites, camping grounds, developing further impoundment areas.
What impoundments do you propose? Which creeks are you going to dam? Further impoundments - your policy on Monday. Where are these dams you propose to build? Please tell the media. The government is interested. We want to know what areas you have decided are fit for impounding. Tell us. Please tell. Let AFANT know what breeding areas you intend to impound. Let the land owners, be they private or Aboriginal, know what areas of their land you intend to inundate. You either did not edit your own plagiarised policy or you intend to build dams. Make it clear.
This government has a proud history of supporting recreational fishing and that will continue into the future.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016