WESTERN AUSTRALIA

With the WA election to be held on the 8th of March, AFTA started the 2025 year by calling on all WA political parties to commit to addressing the exorbitant cost of living pressure from the very expensive and complicated licensing fees. (https://afta.net.au/afta-calls-for-real-cost-of-living-relief-for-wa-recreational-fishers/)

With the current pressures on domestic cost of living, AFTA has called for a meaningful reduction in licence fees collected from the recreational fishing sector in Western Australia as a policy commitment for the next election.

It is abundantly clear that Western Australia is over-regulated and has become a red tape nightmare with recreational fishing licences required for:

• Recreational Boat Fishing Licence: $40.00
• Rock Lobster Licence: $40.00
• Abalone Licence: $50.00
• Marron Licence: $50.00
• Freshwater Fishing Licence: $50.00
• Net Fishing Licence: $50.00

This could amount to as much as $280 per annum per person and, worse still, for a family that fishes.  In addition, the costs of boat registration are between $154.85 and $964.35.  For many, this is just unaffordable as they seek to prioritise their budget just to get by.

It is concerning that Fisheries Minister Don Punch simply passed it off to his chief of staff to respond, stating it would be referred to the Labor State Secretary.

However, AFTA was delighted at the Libby Mettam announcement to commit an elected WA Liberal Government to amalgamate all fishing licences into one single licence at a comprehensive price of $40, a saving of up to $240 per person. The Liberals have recognised that it has never been more important to support recreational fishers in WA and listen to their calls for a more streamlined process.

The full AFTA WA election policy submission is available here.

TASMANIA

The contentious issue of Commonwealth Marine Park expansion and lockouts has resurfaced with a draft plan proposing to exclude recreational fishers in further parts of Tasmania.

AFTA acknowledges and supports the excellent efforts of TARFish in presenting a rational approach to addressing this matter.

As the TARFish submission states: “It is unclear to TARFish why significant areas will ban recreational fishing with little to no understanding of how the network is used by recreational fishers and its impact. TARFish is concerned that recreational fishers are not considered a valid and valuable user group based on an uninformed view that “Due to the remoteness of many of the marine parks, recreational use is lower…”

A report on submissions will be provided to The Hon Tanya Plibersek, Federal Minister for the Environment & Water, in the first quarter of 2025, ahead of the Federal Election in May 2025. Recfishers should stay informed about efforts to expand Marine Park zones and any proposed Lock Outs by the Commonwealth Government, recalling Minister Tony Burke’s plans in 2018.

In more positive news, AFTA congratulates Eric Abetz, Minister for Business, Industry and Resources and the Tasmanian Government for continuing to invest in recreational fishing by increasing funding to the Tasmanian Association for Recreational Fishing (TARFish) to $700,000 over three years.

AFTA agree with Minister Abetz that this increase in support for TARFish will support recreational fisher advocacy, stewardship activities and the promotion of sustainable fishing practices across the recreational fishing community, such as the work done on the recent  Marine Park submission.

Minister Abetz said “By supporting TARFish through this increased investment, we are enabling them and our community to have better input to the management of fishery resources, our marine facilities and education programs, meaning we can promote best-practice and responsible fishing practices.

“Local communities will also continue to benefit through improved facilities for recreational fishers, delivered through a $1 million extension to the Better Fishing Grants program, with the successful candidates of the third round of Better Fishing Grants recently announced.

“Recreational fishing is here to stay in Tasmania, supported by our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future.”

LIFE JACKETS

The ACCC has issued a product safety recall for life jackets with Halkey-Roberts Corporation 3F Single Point Manual Inflator (Model No: V96000) in Life Jacket Solutions and Marlin life jackets.

These inflators are installed in the following life jacket brands:

• Life Jacket Solutions (LJS) – Model numbers T150M, G150M, B150M, WB100, PR150M, SRSS150.
• Marlin – Model number MK150.
  Check the grey plastic part of the inflator to find out if you have a recalled product.

Recalled inflators are marked “V96000 Halkey Roberts ®” and have a manufacture date between the 4th of June 2021 and the 15th of April 2024 (this will be laser printed in the format MM/DD/YY). The dates the affected life jackets were sold: the 14th of June 2021 – the 20th of December 2024

AFTA urge all members & anglers to check lifejackets to see if the inflators need to be replaced.

To complicate matters, the SA & Qld Governments had issued new regulations on the requirements for wearing lifejackets. While our industry fully supports the new laws and safety improvements, the recent regulation changes, coupled with the ACCC & Worldwide Product Safety Recall on Inflators, have resulted in a temporary shortage of available life jackets. We anticipate that stock supplies will begin to arrive with suppliers by the beginning of April.

AFTA & BIA, on behalf of our industries, requested a grace period on penalties.

QUEENSLAND

AFTA has been invited to participate in the Queensland Department of Primary Industries Forum – 25-year blueprint for a better future in February 2025 at the Royal International Convention Centre, Brisbane.

The forum will discuss key influences on Queensland’s primary industries, including globalisation, ESG, climate, labour needs, digital technology, diversification, advanced manufacturing, and international trends. Representatives from industry sectors, research, Government, community, and investors will collaborate to create a 25-year blueprint supported by 5-year operational strategies. These strategies will be co-designed to reflect local priorities and achieve our goals.

It’s crucial for recreational fishing to have a voice in these discussions. A report will follow after the conference.

VICTORIA

It is abundantly clear that Victoria is the benchmark state in ensuring fish stock replenishments are in place to support a bumper season, thanks to 10 years of record fish stocking by the Victorian Government.

Minister for Outdoor Recreation Steve Dimopoulos visited Karkarook Lake to release 6,000 Murray cod fingerlings for fishers and to celebrate the Labor Government’s continued investment in Victorian fishing.

As  Minister for Outdoor Recreation, Steve Dimopoulos said:

“We want Victorians to get out and enjoy our great outdoors, and there’s no better time to wet a line, with 66 million fish stocked in the last decade – more than all other Australian states and territories combined.”

“There are millions of reasons Victorian families should get out and drop a line this year – with dozens of lakes and rivers stocked across the state.”

Click here for more details.

NEW SOUTH WALES

Over the next 2 months, NSW recreational fishers will find out what will become of the Blue Grouper restrictions imposed on recreational fishers due to an illegal spearfishing event last year.

Anyone caught contravening the closure and taking Eastern Blue Groper in NSW by any method will face a $500 penalty infringement notice and/or maximum court-imposed fines of $22,000 or imprisonment for 6 months (or both) for a first offence and $44,000 or imprisonment for 12 months (or both) for a second or subsequent offence. Please note: Any Eastern Blue Groper incidentally caught while line fishing must be released.

Given the cultural significance of the species to Aboriginal people, the new changes will not apply to Aboriginal cultural fishing.

We keenly await a common-sense outcome that was in place prior to this spearfishing event.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Recreational fishers should make themselves aware of new rules on Shark & Ray fishing that were introduced on the 16th of December; the new rules for shark and ray fishing are aimed at protecting vulnerable species from overfishing and preventing inhumane treatment.

The changes were recommended by the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) following consultation with various key stakeholders, including those in recreational fishing and conservation after concerns were raised by the community about the treatment of sharks and rays incidentally caught throughout the state. 

FEDERAL – OFFSHORE WINDFARMS

Recreational fishers welcome the common-sense approach that Liberal Leader Peter Dutton has shown in stating that he will cancel the Hunter, Illawarra & Bunbury offshore windfarms, citing “the wind farms would blight the landscape and disrupt the tourism and fishing industries”. This follows the South Australian Government’s rejection of the SA wind farm proposal, citing impacts on fisheries.

It is interesting to note that Origin Energy had already walked away from the Hunter project.

As the election draws near, this, along with the proposed marine park increases, makes for an interesting battleground.

ELECTIONS:

Over the next 12 months, there will be elections in:

Western Australia

March 8th 2025

Issues to be raised are outlined in AFTA’s policy submission here.

Federal

May 2025

Issues to be raised:

• Offshore Windfarms
• Shark Depredation
• Importation of green prawns and white spot disease
• Actions to address microplastics in the ocean.
• Banning the importation of Crab Pots that don’t comply with Australia-wide state legislation.

2026 ELECTION DATES 

South Australia

March 21st, 2026

Victoria

November 28th, 2026