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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-05-04 Daily Xml
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Seafood Industry

The Hon. C. BONAROS (15:02): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development another question about the cost-recovery policy review of South Australia's seafood sectors.

Leave granted.

The Hon. C. BONAROS: Yesterday I put a number of questions to the minister, none of which were answered very comprehensively before question time finished.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. C. BONAROS: Before doing so, to emphasise the current state of the sector, I believe it is important to repeat what the Premier's personal views on that matter were. Writing to the key stakeholders last year, reinforcing his government's commitment to reduce licence fees by 50 per cent for fishers in the northern and southern rock lobster fisheries, he wrote:

My government stands ready to continue to assist the industry, with a further commitment to review the effectiveness of the current cost recovery model, by considering the merits of different approaches to recovering fees for services that could incorporate more flexibility into what are increasingly volatile markets.

The minister's response to my questions yesterday were, with respect, a little vanilla, virtually verbatim from the PIRSA website, so I ask her again:

1. Has consideration been given to the possibility of an interim report being made publicly available so as to give affected stakeholders the opportunity to respond to recommendations?

2. Will the minister assure this council and industry sectors impacted by current cost-recovery policies that the final report will be publicly released prior to any recommendations being finalised and going to cabinet for sign-off?

3. Does the minister actually appreciate the importance of unfettered access to that report and that independent process and the need for confidence in that process, given what is at stake for those who are impacted adversely by this process, because we all know they simply cannot afford another whack?

4. Does the minister think it is acceptable or sustainable for commercial operators to pay between 10 per cent and 25 per cent of their revenue in licence costs?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (15:05): I thank the honourable member for her question and for adding to the information that she provided yesterday in her question on the same topic.

It certainly is due to the concerns that were raised with me while we were still in opposition around the cost-recovery process that resulted in the now Labor government—then Labor opposition—making a commitment prior to the last election to have a cost-recovery review process for the entire seafood sector: one review for aquaculture and one review for the fisheries sector.

In terms of the report, it is often usual and most beneficial to await a final report before releasing recommendations. As I don't, at this stage, have an interim report, I will make my determination around that once I have received the report.

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