Mr PERRETT (Gympie—LNP) (2.20 pm): The state government is failing the commercial fishing
industry and fishers. It is mismanaging the fishing industry and gambling with the future of fishers. The
minister responsible for fishing hides behind weasel words and will not stand up for them. Two years
ago Spanish mackerel was supposed to be a sustainable fishery. Today the government says that it
needs to take drastic action because the situation has deteriorated so much that there is only 17 per
cent of the original stock assessment. What happened in those two years? The government cannot
blame COVID, so what happened? If drastic action is needed within two years it means that the minister
in charge has clearly botched the management of Spanish mackerel fisheries. The minister should be
open and transparent with the data used to justify these decisions. People deserve to know that
decisions are reasonable and not simply massaged to suit other political agendas.
Last year in budget estimates I asked why the government dismissed an independent peer review
which said their assumptions were incorrect. They ignored it. The government also continually refuses
to conduct a regulatory impact statement about the effects of changes on the industry. I have warned
the minister repeatedly about this. This government’s changes will significantly impact the livelihoods
of fishers, their families and the communities where they live. It will drive people out of business and it
will impact tourism and hospitality-based businesses, yet this minister resorts to spin to avoid
responsibility. He claims that compensation is not needed because it is a management decision and
not a regulatory change. They are hollow words. I support taking reasonable measures to protect fish
species, but these decisions make it clear the government cannot manage fisheries.
To compound the situation, the minister goes missing when he should stand up and be counted.
Two weeks ago the environment minister released a draft Great Sandy Marine Park zoning plan. While
some sensible changes are welcome, the plan has serious red flags. The plan makes it clear that
commercial fishers are expected to carry the burden of changes. Again Minister Furner remains silent
as another cohort of commercial fishers is hit. The government admits that 60 to 70 commercial fishers
will be impacted, and that figure could be higher. They are already bearing the brunt of regulatory
changes without adequate compensation or government assistance. Now they have been blindsided
by this announcement. Minister Scanlon’s solution—that commercial fishers can retrain and restructure
work—is absolute nonsense. These people work outside with their hands. It is the ‘Jackie Trad
solution’—telling people to go find and then retrain for a new job. It has taken three years since 2019 to
get to this, and now commercial fishers have been given only one month to defend themselves. Silence
from Minister Furner is unacceptable.
