Question Time

MARINE PARKS

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:21): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation a question about displaced effort in commercial fisheries.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Industry has been advised that the government hopes to have the voluntary component of the buyback process completed by 2013—and this is to do with marine parks. The industry has had involvement in drafting a voluntary component of the buyback process to date, and this component and process have been facilitated not only by the minister's department but also the other minister's department.

In order for the fishers to make an informed choice and decision regarding whether or not to participate in the voluntary component of buyback, it is only logical that they must have as much information as possible regarding other and linked aspects of the process which may impact on them if they choose not to participate in the voluntary component of the buyout.

The last information received by the commercial fishing industry in relation to compensation to displaced commercial fishing effort was provided to the industry in April 2011, and it was a document entitled 'Marine Parks' and 'Displaced commercial fishing: policy framework: South Australian government, 2011', and they have not heard anything else since that time. Obviously, there has been a change of minister since that information was provided. My questions to the minister are:

1. Will there be a reconfirmation from the government regarding the provisions for compensation of displaced commercial fishing effort?

2. What is the status of the draft of any regulations required for the compensation of displaced commercial fishing effort?

3. The voluntary part of the process is being facilitated by PIRSA and industry, we have been led to believe, and I am certain that the compulsory component will be facilitated by DEWNR. Is this true, and why are the two agencies facilitating different parts of the same process?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (14:23): I thank the honourable member for his questions and, given that they pertain largely to my portfolio responsibilities, I am happy to answer them.

The government is obviously very committed to ensuring that marine parks protect our marine environment, while at the same time seeking to minimise the impact on our state's very valuable commercial fisheries. Of course, we are also very keen to make sure that we keep our recreational fishers happy as well; they are very important people and it is a very important pastime.

To this end, the government has kept its commitment that marine parks will have less than 5 per cent of its economic impact on the state's fishing industry, and this is measured as impact on the statewide annual gross value of production (GVP). To achieve this, the government sought to minimise the overlap of high conservation marine park zones with important fishing grounds, and I am advised that the estimated impact on the commercial fishing industry, based on the final marine park zones approved at the end of November 2012, is 1.7 per cent of statewide commercial fishing gross value of production (GVP). I am aware that the final SARDI estimates of displaced commercial fishing activity took into account additional fishing industry-supplied data, and that these estimates are available on the SARDI website. I have alluded to these in the past.

The government's longstanding position has been one of utilising—and we have communicated this extensively with the industry—the following sequential steps for managing displaced effort:

avoid displacement by pragmatic zoning;

redistribute effort only where possible, without impacting ecological or economic sustainability of the fishery;

a market-based buyout of sufficient effort to avoid negative impacts on the fishery; and

compulsory acquisition as a last resort only.

I have been advised by PIRSA that its assessment is that compulsory acquisition will not be required. PIRSA believes it will be able to meet displaced effort requirements within the voluntary approach.

In light of the need to manage future fisheries-related issues, the catch/effort reduction program will be administered by PIRSA, and I have been advised by my department that the fishing industry is currently being consulted on that draft plan before it is finalised. Industry feedback will be considered for further development of the plan prior to its release for implementation, and all affected licence holders will be formally informed and invited to participate in that voluntary program.

The government has adopted the estimations produced by SARDI as the best available data. It also takes into consideration information provided by the fishing industry. The fishing industry was extremely cooperative in working with us, and I want to acknowledge its efforts and input to this state. Its detailed fishing efforts enabled us to refine and apply a more accurate approach to displaced effort.

Most recently, PIRSA has also met individually with those associations who have taken up the opportunity to have input into the plan. The draft plan focuses on providing an opportunity for commercial fishers to offer licences and entitlements for surrender. Ex gratia payments will be made in consideration of those licences and entitlements surrendered—if accepted, of course—and licences and entitlements available for transfer through brokers on the open market will also be considered.

I am confident that my department will continue to work with commercial fishers as the marine park management plans are implemented to deliver effective conservation outcomes for the South Australian marine environment while, as I said, minimising impacts on commercial fishers. SARDI has published reports—which are available online, as I have said in this place before—to estimate the historic catch and effort for commercial fishers in the final marine park sanctuary and habitat protection zones. Those are publicly available.

PIRSA will take responsibility for coordinating the voluntary efforts for displacement. It has been involved with the fishers and has a close relationship with them, because of its previous involvement and responsibilities in terms of the fishing sector. They have, if you like, been closer to the detailed information needed to make these assessments, and they are really just carrying on with that work. If any compulsory acquisition would need to be done it would, I think, require regulatory or legislative input. That would be a matter for the Minister for Environment; he would have the carriage of that.