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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-03-13 Daily Xml
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ROCK LOBSTER FISHERY

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (15:15): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries questions about government distributed size guides for rock lobster.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS: Recently, I was alerted to a concerning situation involving a constituent who was prosecuted for having undersized rock lobsters in his catch. The constituent used the government sanctioned measurement guide, distributed by PIRSA, and the catch was from Robe, which is part of the Rock Lobster (Southern Zone) Fishery in South Australia.

Despite pleading his case to the fisheries officer, he was prosecuted, anyway. The officer reminded the fisherman that it was only the officer's official measurement, using his own instrument, which counted in terms of the law. If this is indeed the case, my questions to the minister are:

1. Why are these guides being distributed to recreational fishers if they are useless and not beneficial to them?

2. How much taxpayer money is being spent on the production and distribution of these measuring guides?

3. Why are the guides not consistent with the official instruments used by fisheries officers?

4. Given that in this case the constituent had no intention of breaking the law and catching undersized lobsters, can the minister confirm that in the future those who use government guides will have protection under the law and, if not, will the minister ensure that no more money is wasted on these useless pieces of plastic?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Tourism, Minister for the Status of Women) (15:16): I am happy to take those questions on notice and bring back a response. I am not aware that there are problems with the guides. I do not necessarily accept the proposition that the honourable member is putting to me in this place, but I am happy to go away and check it and see if there is a problem. I do not necessarily accept that there is. As I said, it has certainly not been brought to my attention previously, that I can recall.

As I said, I do not accept his proposition at all. We know that members of the opposition come into this place time and again and make up things. They just make up things as they go along, often with nothing to substantiate their allegations. Nevertheless, I will give the member at least enough of a benefit of the doubt to check the veracity of some of his allegations.

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