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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-10-29 Daily Xml
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SEAFOOD INDUSTRY

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (14:45): I seek leave to ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries a question about the South Australian seafood industry.

Leave granted.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: The minister has spoken before about the importance of seafood to the government's premium food and wine priority. Can the minister tell the chamber about the national seafood conference currently being held in South Australia?

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) (14:46): I thank the honourable member for his most important question. Another coup for South Australia: Port Lincoln has become the focal point of Australia's seafood industry as host of the 2013 National Seafood Industry Conference—Seafood Directions. For Port Lincoln and South Australia to host this premier national fishing industry conference, which is about setting the future direction for the seafood industry, really recognises how well regarded our industry is as a premium seafood producer from our very clean aquatic environment.

Australia's commercial fishing and aquaculture industry is worth more than $2 billion annually and employs just under 12,000 people. When total and indirect outputs are calculated, South Australia's commercial fisheries contribute more than $690 million to the state's economy, so it is a very important economic driver. With only 2.2 per cent of the state's population, Eyre Peninsula produces more than 60 per cent of South Australia's seafood which is quite amazing—2.2 per cent of the population produces 60 per cent of our seafood.

Our clean waters mean that we are home to some of the world's most sought after seafood including our famous rock lobster, tuna, oysters, prawns, and the list goes on. The protection of our aquatic environment through our environmental monitoring, aquatic animal health programs and strict zoning requirements ensures South Australia's seafood retains a very high standard and very strong environmental credentials.

In South Australia our seafood industry has tremendous opportunities and that is why one of this government's key strategic priorities is premium food and wine from our clean environment. The government is working hard to further grow this important sector and increase its reputation as a producer of premium seafood both here in South Australia and nationally, as well as internationally. For example, the government has worked with industry to reduce red tape. The tuna 90-day project will make it easier for fishers and fish farmers to meet their regulatory requirements so that they can concentrate on what they do best which is producing and harvesting fabulous seafood.

These new administrative arrangements will streamline licensing, monitoring and reporting, and have resulted in a 50 per cent time saving and 20 per cent cost saving on tuna licence applications. The industry estimates that the benefits for these new arrangements will be in the vicinity of saving about $700,000 a year. We have also developed a commercial reporting smartphone application to assist our producers and make it easier for commercial fishers to report their catch.

On Sunday I was very pleased to attend a number of events associated with the Seafood Directions conference where the celebrations commenced at the Port Lincoln marina with the Family and Fishers Trade Show Day. It was a lot of fun. I took the opportunity to take part in another premium food and wine from our clean environment public panel discussion. The community discussion was hosted by wine identity and South Australian premium food and wine from our clean environment ambassador Paul Henry. It featured fellow ambassadors Andrew Puglisi from Kinkawooka Mussels and Hagen Stehr from CleanSeas. Our Hong Kong based South Australian premium food and wine from our clean environment ambassador Mr Wong Wing Chee and Port Lincoln based food identity Sandy Harder provided an opportunity to celebrate our premium seafood with a cook-off demonstration.

I was very pleased to be able to attend the conference itself, which involved industry awards. These awards celebrated the achievements of some of our great seafood success stories, and I congratulate the winners of those awards. I would especially like to congratulate the award winners from South Australia, which include Del Giorno's Cafe in Port Lincoln, the winner of the National Industry Restaurateur Award; the Australian Southern Blue Fin Tuna Industry Association, which won the National Research Development and Extension Award; and the association's Samara Miller, who took home the People Development Award.

This year, for the very first time, the seafood industry inducted 32 industry icons into our Seafood Hall of Fame in appreciation of their contribution to this important industry. Many have dedicated the whole of their working lives to the industry and I congratulate each and every one of them.

I would also like to take this opportunity to particularly congratulate Gloria Jones on being the first female ever to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Members of this chamber would be well aware of the significant contribution Gloria has made to the seafood industry in South Australia. In particular, she and her husband Henry Jones were instrumental in helping the Coorong and Lower Lakes fishery achieve the Marine Stewardship Council certification, the first multispecies fishery to do so.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: Not that I acknowledge interjections, but I note that members of this place have indicated through their interjections knowledge of both Gloria and Henry Jones and acknowledged the incredible contribution they have both made. They are, as honourable members have indicated, quite amazing people and we are very grateful for their efforts.

I look forward to hearing about some of the outcomes of the conference and am sure that everyone who attended will come away from the event with a greater awareness of our premium seafood from our very clean environment.

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