CEO Message – WA’s blue economy threatened by overseas green ideology
The Australian seafood industry is going through a really challenging period, with State and Federal Governments making often bewildering decisions which will impact the community’s seafood supply.
For instance, in Queensland, a ban has been ratified to prevent the catch of barramundi from tidal creeks. There is absolutely no scientific justification and zero consideration of the socio-economic impacts.
Why? Because overseas eco-lobbyists are the puppeteers and those in government environmental agencies are the dancing marionettes. In the belief that coral trout are being netted and this is damaging the coral reefs, the foreign lobbyists have convinced the government that gillnets should be banned in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
Of course there is no netting over coral reefs, that’s simply ridiculous and dangerous, however the muddy tidal creeks with sustainably caught barramundi do happen to be inside the park boundaries, so the bans have now taken 1500 tonnes of fresh local catch from the Queensland community.
Remember when you could go to Cairns and have a feed of barra with a can of XXXX, well now it’s just the XXXX and some imported frozen fish cakes!
Just a fortnight ago the Queensland fishing community went to Canberra’s Parliament House to host an evening of free Burdekin Barra. Well guess what, the freeloading MPs descended on the event like a flock of seagulls. They quickly scoffed the free fish on offer, reckoned it was the best show ever, but then trotted back to their offices to blindly follow the continual trail of poor decision-making which neglects the interests of communities and consumers.
The question is no longer “when” they will wake up, it’s more a matter of “if” they will wake up. Our children will quite rightfully point back to this point in time and say that Australia’s decision-makers let them down by neglecting seafood supply and food security.
In a recent ProWest magazine, I wrote about the ridiculous Nature Positive movement, stimulated by Pew and other billionaire-funded overseas eco-zealot groups, which is arguing for outcomes where projects must deliver environmental improvements, rather than offsets.
Would you believe, the Federal Climate Change agency has even used the term ‘Nature Positive’, to describe some divisions within their department. I talked about their proposal to introduce 40 kilometre/hour speed limits in WA’s Pilbara to prevent roadkill, something which was quickly shot down when WA’s mining industry rang the bell.
As an update, interestingly, WA’s Premier Roger Cook recently sent Environment Minister, Reece Whitby, to Canberra on an urgent mission to meet with Federal Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek, in a bid to rethink the planned rollout of the new EPBC Act Bill, which among other things will introduce Nature Positive principles, while bringing in a whole new raft of pressures on primary industries.
Cognisant of the emerging napalm lightshow in WA from the mining industry, oil and gas industry, Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA and the business community if the Nature Positive nonsense continues, the WA government is now desperately trying to slow down the Feds.
WA has expressed concerns that the outcome is a fait accompli and local input is being ignored. (Editor’s note: Yes, we know this feeling first-hand from the marine park debacles, now it’s on the other foot).
Anyhow, we hereby provide our full support to the WA government for its recent attempts to bring some sensibility to the equation. And we encourage them to stand firm and back WA’s interests against damaging new Federal legislation, which has been hand-sculpted by foreign eco-lobby groups.
We all support sensible environmental protection measures in this great country of ours, but not when they’re designed by those who simply have no commitment or benefit to the Australian people.
Cheers.
Darryl Hockey
Chief Executive Officer
WA Fishing Industry Council