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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-03-23 Daily Xml
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SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD

Mrs GERAGHTY (Torrens) (15:20): My question is to the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mrs GERAGHTY: Can the minister update the house on recent changes that some companies have made to their corporate policies to stock only sustainable seafood?

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN (Napier—Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Energy, Minister for the Northern Suburbs) (15:20): I thank the member for Torrens for her question. Coles and Woolworths have recently announced new policies—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The members on my right will behave.

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: Coles and Woolworths have both recently announced new policies to only stock sustainably certified seafood in their stores across Australia. Coles has established a partnership with the World Wildlife Fund, while Woolworths is working closely with the Marine Stewardship Council. The World Wildlife Fund is the world's largest independent conservation group, while the Marine Stewardship Council is a leading certification and eco-labelling program for sustainable seafood.

As the minister for fisheries, I believe that this marketing approach by Coles and Woolworths may have some pluses, but by and large it fails to acknowledge the high standard of fisheries management in South Australia.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I warn the member for Finniss.

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: Coles in particular has embarked on a series of sensationalist marketing campaigns in areas such as pork production and beef production and have erroneously characterised the regulatory regimes that have been put in place by governments around Australia as either being detrimental to animal welfare or to consumer health. Similarly, Coles' foray into substantial price reductions for home brand milk, where it is sold at a price less than bottled water, threatens to undermine the financial viability of Australia's dairy industry.

I would like to encourage supermarket chains to look beyond seafood certified by environmental groups and also to look to South Australia as a world leader in sustainable fisheries and aquaculture management. Just because a fishery does not have an independent certification, such as those offered by the Marine Stewardship Council or the Worldwide Fund for Nature, does not mean that it is not sustainable.

South Australia's fisheries management arrangements, including our stock assessment methods, have proved to be accepted as international best practice. In fact, the Spencer Gulf Prawn Fishery was recently recognised—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: The Spencer Gulf Prawn Fishery was recently recognised as one of the best managed fisheries in the world, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. In its report 'A global study on shrimp fisheries', the organisation praised the Spencer Gulf Prawn Fishery as a global model of fair, flexible and accountable management.

South Australia has a strong fisheries management base, established by legislation in 1968, which requires sustainable use, development and protection from overfishing. This strong legislation, accompanied by the solid science of SARDI, has allowed South Australia to enjoy sustainable fisheries and regional economic development and has also resulted in some of our world-first management initiatives being recognised as international best practice.

I would urge Coles and Woolworths to reach out beyond environmental groups and engage in discussions with Australia's various fisheries management authorities about the status of local fish stocks and the fisheries management practices that underpin their sustainability. Similarly, Coles should exhibit a higher degree of responsibility in dealing with both its consumers and the various sectors of our primary production and seafood industries.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

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