FISHING INDUSTRY

Mr PENGILLY (Finniss) (15:49): I raise an important issue today in relation to the fishing industry in South Australia. Our professional fishers pay considerable licence fees to have the privilege of being able to catch and sell fish; however, I am deeply concerned about what is happening to the fishermen in the rock lobster fishery, particularly in the northern zone. I have around 16 based in my electorate who all work out of Kingscote—there are many more boats working the northern zone than that—and they are in desperate straits.

Many years ago we had a considerable number of boats working in these waters. Things changed. There were probably too many boats and too many pots and the wheels fell off, to some extent. However, we now find with the introduction of quotas that there has been some success in the past couple of years, particularly this year, in the build up of the biomass of rock lobster in our zone and that most fishermen had their quotas by February at the latest—some went a little bit later, some were in January, some were in early February.

I have received a letter which really worries me, and I am going to read it into Hansard. It is from Mr and Mrs Lance Tyley of Kingscote. They have pleaded with me to help them. They said there is another likelihood of quotas being further reduced this coming season. The letter is to the Director of Fisheries, Mr Martin Smallridge, and it states:

Dear sir,

I wish to protest most strongly at the cost of a rock lobster fisheries licence.

For the 09-10 season, you reduced the quota by 34 per cent. This effectively reduced our income by 34 per cent. However, fees, compulsory levies and contributions were not reduced.

How do you expect us to fund these costs?

If your income, or indeed that of any other worker in Australia, had a compulsory reduction of 34 per cent there would be extreme difficulty experienced by every person in trying to pay bills.

In all fairness, having cut the quota, and with potential further cuts, you could see that fees should not remain at, or exceed, the level of previous years when higher catches, and therefore income, could be expected.

We pay a compulsory PIFS levy of $1,200, [we pay] compulsory VMS levy of $900, and a licence fee of $20,438.85 (an increase of base licence fee of $225 this 10-11 season).

Having to pay these fees for what is now a limited access to a fishery which has the potential to earn excellent export dollars for the South Australian economy, is leading the hardship, not only for us, but for other fishermen.

Since the quota has been cut by 34 per cent, and fee costs increased by 3.3 per cent, we actually pay in excess of $1,000 per week for the privilege of fishing, because the allowable catch is caught in far less time than the length of the season.

But we still pay licence instalments when not earning an income from fishing. We still have insurance, maintenance costs and the usual household expenses to meet.

Once upon a time, we paid a lot of income tax which allowed the government to pay wages for public servants. When our income is reduced by 34 per cent and costs are higher, the tax is less, so the government needs to find money to make up the shortfall. This is not good for our [nation].

It is not easy to balance our finances when fees keep rising.

Would you please consider reducing, or refunding a portion of, the licence fee, so that I may not lose any more sleep worrying about how to pay these bills.

Yours faithfully, Cherie Tyley [on behalf of the Tyley family].

Where is this going to stop? When are these lunatics who run fisheries going to realise that you cannot get blood out of a stone, that people have to make an honest quid, they have to employ people? They should not have to be pushed into a corner. Already this season, I was informed on Saturday that another two boats had sold their licence. It is just not worth going on. This is ridiculous.

The rock lobster industry in South Australia has been a wonderful cornerstone and success in the fisheries sector for many years. I say to the government, 'For heaven's sake, get hold of this department.' I urge the minister to take some action and to allow these people to do what they do—catch fish in an honest manner—not be forced out by increasing government charges and put under the pump to the extent that they are walking away from the industry.

It is causing chaos to families. Children of families who have been in the fishing industry forever, do not want to follow on. I think it is most unjust and I wish to progress this further with the minister in an effort to get some sense back into this industry. I worked closely with the former minister (Hon. Rory McEwen) on cockles, and I would like to do the same on rock lobsters.