Lisa Singh (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Attorney General) Share this | Hansard source

There are a number of adjectives from the Macquarie and Oxford dictionaries frequently used in this place that, as colourful as they may seem, are often very appropriate when describing senators on the other side—and on many occasions you use them about us, Senator Back.

In June this year, Senator Colbeck went on the record as a strident cheerleader for factory vessels, despite the promises made in March by his Prime Minister and by Senator Eric Abetz to maintain their government's support for the ban on supertrawlers in Australian waters. Clearly, then, there is division within the coalition on this issue—even amongst Liberal senators from my home state.

Senator Bushby interjecting—

I am not sure what Senator's Bushby's position is—whether he is with Senator Abetz or Senator Colbeck on this issue—but clearly they are all over the place. Some members of the government disagree with Senator Colbeck and say that they support the ban on supertrawlers, but unfortunately their lack of action belies their words.

The government have refused to act to protect our fisheries, stand up for recreational fishers or provide industry with any certainty, so it is up to Labor to act. It does surprise me how the government can ignore the pleas from recreational fishers, the community and environment groups. I am sure the government have heard from thousands of community members and have seen the Facebook pages protesting against these supertrawlers. It is similar, I think, to the way they ignored community protests about their proposed changes to the Racial Discrimination Act: the 5,000 submissions and the thousands of expressions of concern from the community. They were willing for some time—until it suited them not to—to ignore community wishes on that issue as well.

Overfishing in the North Sea and the South Pacific has been well documented for some time, and it is supertrawlers that have caused that overfishing. I urge senators to watch, if they have not already, a very important documentary by Rupert Murray called The End of the Line. It highlights the devastating effect that overfishing has had on the world's fish populations—the fact that fishing is occurring at an unsustainable rate. A lot of research has demonstrated that trawling is severely damaging fishing stocks. I think this film was the first major documentary to look closely at the impacts of overfishing on the world's oceans. It highlighted that a quarter of the world's fish stocks are being exploited to extinction and that a further half of the world's fish stocks are under significant pressure. It also highlighted that well-known species, such as cod and bluefin tuna, were likely to be extinct by 2048—and once they are gone, they are gone. That is why we need more scientific research before we just open the door and let supertrawlers come into the Bass Strait. We need to recognise what has already occurred in the North Sea and the South Pacific—and probably elsewhere around the world.

That is why we have this bill before us and that is why Labor is urging the government to support it. The current ban is due to expire on 11 November. The pressure is growing on the government to make good the Prime Minister's words and to support Senator Ludwig's bill—to put those strong powers to protect the environment in place before any more supertrawlers come to Australia. The indecision of the Prime Minister is risking a high-value commercial fishery in south-east Australia, a fishery with an estimated gross annual production of $11 million. Given the government has failed to act and given its frightening inability to keep its word—on anything, I have to say—it is sensible for these powers to be restored.

Labor understands that a healthy Australian environment will always be the basis of a growing, well-managed Australian economy, and only Labor will protect our oceans, respect our fisheries and provide certainty to the fishing community, the environment and business. That is why this bill is before us. We know the history; we know the journey. I have related some of the history of what has occurred with supertrawlers in other parts of the world. We do need further research and we do need to invest further in the science before we just allow open slather, before we open the door for supertrawler access to our seas and oceans. It is the right thing to do for our environment, the right thing to do for our fishing community and the right thing to do for business and our economy.