AFTA Chairs Report December 2020

T’is the season to be jolly and on behalf of AFTA, I hope you have an outstanding sales period that finally brings some solid cheer into your business.  Indicators are that with people not being able to travel overseas there will be an increased spend domestically and that is a bonus for our industry.

This year has been a challenge in so many ways with natural disasters and the COVID impact. Through all of this AFTA has led from the front and sought to drive through the barriers put in its way.

2020 saw elections in the NT, ACT, QLD with incumbent governments being returned and the WA elections will be held in March 2021.  AFTA repeatedly puts the call out for the issues affecting you in each State so we can make political representations on your behalf, I would encourage you to take up the opportunity.

AFTA has been successful in the Let’s Fish social media marketing grants on engaging and reconnecting with rec fishers from both SA & QLD governments and the production of those campaigns is well underway.  AFTA will continue with applications in other states in 2021.

We are also proud to have received a QLD grant to partner with the Indigenous Youth Mobility Pathways (IYMP) Program to engage Indigenous youth in weekend workshops at Cairns, Townsville, Rockhampton & Brisbane in a cultural exchange of modern and traditional fishing methods.

So I wish you a very Merry Christmas and hope the jingling bells you hear are the sounds of the cash register ringing up sales.