Page 3581 - Week 11 - Thursday, 16 November 2006
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MR MULCAHY (Molonglo) (10.43): The opposition will support the amendments to the Fisheries Amendment Bill 2006. I must say at the outset that I welcome this, my first opportunity to speak on legislation in my role as shadow minister for the environment. Mrs Dunne kindly pointed out to me that I have responsibility for pests and animals. I profess considerable expertise in dealing with pests, and for that reason I believe I am eminently qualified to speak on this legislation.
When the legislation first came in, I must say I expressed a little surprise to see legislation dealing with rock lobsters in the ACT. My children come back and tell me about carp in the lake, but I have not seen a lot of lobsters. But after looking more closely at the legislation, I realised that this relates to cross-border activity. Therefore these are obviously a welcome series of amendments.
The amendments reflect our responsibilities as a member of the National Fisheries Compliance Committee, which was formed by a memorandum of understanding at the state, territory and federal level. I support this sort of nationwide cooperation and believe that a national framework is the best weapon to combat offences that cross state or territory borders. The passage of this legislation will ensure that the ACT is in line with other jurisdictions in Australia and give officials the power to prosecute those that seek to break the law.
The illegal trafficking of priority species is one such illegal offence. Given the nature of the ACT and the fact that there is no fishing industry to speak of, these amendments will most likely come into play to deter and prevent the illegal sale of priority species or the illegal trafficking of priority species throughout the ACT.
Mr Hargreaves: We have carp.
MR MULCAHY: Mr Speaker, that statement has brought dismay to Mr Hargreaves. To qualify that statement, I am referring to commercial fishing, as opposed to recreational fishing.
Members interjecting—
MR MULCAHY: The illegal trafficking of species—
MR SPEAKER: Order! Mr Mulcahy, would you resume your seat for a moment. Members, please remain silent whilst Mr Mulcahy is delivering his speech.
Ms MacDonald: We are just helping him.
MR SPEAKER: That means you too, Ms MacDonald.
MR MULCAHY: The illegal trafficking of species like abalone and rock lobster—often, it seems, by organised crime networks—is something that was not considered when the Fisheries Act 2000 was drafted and passed. This amendment bill will, as the minister pointed out when he introduced the legislation, expand the Fisheries Act to allow such offences to be dealt with efficiently. The opposition is pleased to support
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