Dear Minister,
AFTA is the peak national industry body representing the fishing tackle industry at the wholesale, import,
manufacturing, media, and retail levels as well as the charter/guiding sector with members throughout Australia
and our members through the process of conducting their business have contact with every recreational fisher.
AFTA is a non-partisan association, the AFTA board representation is very broad and representative of the
community, our only interest is the future of recreational fishing through strong well thought out equitable
policy.
As such I refer to your media release of June 20,2024 wherein you state with reference to the United Kingdom
and Denmark offshore windfarms:
“In those jurisdictions turbines are around 2 kilometres apart with an exclusion zone of just 50 metres
around turbines. It means fishing vessels can go about their normal operations within the wind farm.”
In relation specifically to recreational fishing, would you please confirm what the government’s exclusion
zones will be for each of the following Offshore Windfarm sites:
1. Gippsland (VIC) 15000 km2, approved 19th December 2022
2. Southern Ocean (VIC) 1030 km2, approved 6th March 2024
3. Hunter (NSW) 1854 km2 approved 12th July 2023
4. Illawarra (NSW) 1022 km2, approved 15th June 2024
5. Bass Straight (TAS) 10136 km2, proposed
6. Bunbury (WA) 7674 km2 , proposed
We await your response, once received it will be published on AFTA.net.au for our members to consider.
Yours sincerely,
Bob
The Hon Bob Baldwin
Independent Chair
Australian Fishing Trade Association
1 July 2024
AFTA is the peak national industry body representing the fishing tackle industry at the wholesale, import,
manufacturing, media, and retail levels as well as the charter/guiding sector with members throughout Australia
and our members through the process of conducting their business have contact with every recreational fisher.
AFTA is a non-partisan association, the AFTA board representation is very broad and representative of the
community, our only interest is the future of recreational fishing through strong well thought out equitable
policy.
As such I refer to your media release of June 20,2024 wherein you state with reference to the United Kingdom
and Denmark offshore windfarms:
“In those jurisdictions turbines are around 2 kilometres apart with an exclusion zone of just 50 metres
around turbines. It means fishing vessels can go about their normal operations within the wind farm.”
In relation specifically to recreational fishing, would you please confirm what the government’s exclusion
zones will be for each of the following Offshore Windfarm sites:
1. Gippsland (VIC) 15000 km2, approved 19th December 2022
2. Southern Ocean (VIC) 1030 km2, approved 6th March 2024
3. Hunter (NSW) 1854 km2 approved 12th July 2023
4. Illawarra (NSW) 1022 km2, approved 15th June 2024
5. Bass Straight (TAS) 10136 km2, proposed
6. Bunbury (WA) 7674 km2 , proposed
We await your response, once received it will be published on AFTA.net.au for our members to consider.
Yours sincerely,
Bob
The Hon Bob Baldwin
Independent Chair
Australian Fishing Trade Association
1 July 2024