Marine Scalefish Fishery Reform

Mr ELLIS (Narungga) (15:21): My question is to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development. Can the minister please inform the house on the progress of the exceptional circumstances process which was meant to wrap up in October last year?

The Hon. D.K.B. BASHAM (Finniss—Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development) (15:21): I thank the member for Narungga for his question. This is a very important question for commercial fishers. The Marshall Liberal government is very much supporting our commercial scalefish fishers with a $24.5 million reform package. As part of that package we have been looking into how to help those fishers going forward.

It had very much reached a point in the viability of the fishery that there were too many fishers and not enough fish, and with that request from the industry we looked at what could be done. We have seen a significant change in approach, going forward. We have moved to a completely different platform to operate, particularly for priority fish species such as snapper, King George whiting, southern garfish and calamari, where there will be total allowable commercial catches applied each year.

In the reform we have also offered the opportunity for fishers to leave the industry, with offers of $140,000 being available to line fishers and $180,000 to net fishers. We have had great interest in that process, seeing 132 fishers apply for surrender. Part of that process is also that they are able to investigate the opportunity for exceptional circumstances in establishing their history to take the quotas going forward.

We had over 90 applicants looking at exceptional circumstances. It is been an extensive process to go through those 90 applicants, but we are very close to finalising it at this point in time and we will be able to come out with advice to those fishers imminently. However, it has been a lot bigger task than we expected; we did not expect that number. In circumstances elsewhere in the country where similar things have been done, we haven't had that high a level of interest in exceptional circumstances. We are continuing to work on it and will be going out to fishers very, very soon.