Commonwealth Marine Park Management, AFTA, ARFF, BIA & SIA alliance seeks commitment to the status quo by all political parties

AFTA has formed a strong alliance with the Seafood Industry Australia (SIA), Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation (ARFF), and the Boating Industry Association (BIA); all the peak bodies representing Australia’s commercial and recreational seafood industries, and recreational boat users to show unity and strength on behalf of the 5 million fishers & boaters in resisting changes to the Commonwealth Marine Park Plan.

Below are our letters with responses noted; seeking their position ahead of the forthcoming election:

• Liberal/National Government RESPONDED
• Australian Labor Party RESPONDED
• Shooters, Fishers & Farmers RESPONDED
• Katters Australian Party RESPONDED
• Liberal Democrats
• United Australia Party
• One Nation
• Australian Greens RESPONDED

AFTA will keep you informed.

PRIME MINISTER SCOTT MORRISON’S POSITION

Alliance letter sent to the Liberal National Party

RESPONSE RECEIVED FROM THE HON SUSSAN LEY MP

Alliance letter sent to the Australian Labor Party

FOLLOW UP EMAIL SENT TO THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY ON APRIL 26, 2022

Dear Shadow Minister Butler,
I am seeking an update on a formal response to the joint letter dated 4 April, 2022 from ‐ Seafood Industry Australia (SIA), Australian Fishing Trade Association (AFTA), Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation (ARFF), and the Boating Industry Association (BIA); the peak‐bodies representing Australia’s commercial and recreational seafood industries, and recreational boat users.
The letter requested a commitment from the Australian Labor Party to maintain Australia’s robust Marine Park network in its current form, should there be a change of government at the 2022 Federal Election.
Over the weekend, the Coalition has announced their commitment to maintain the current network.
We await your reply and look forward to discussing this with you further. We welcome the opportunity to meet with you at a time that suits your schedule.

RESPONSE RECEIVED FROM JOSH WILSON MP

Alliance letter sent to the Shooters, Fishers & Farmers Party

RESPONSE RECEIVED FROM THE SHOOTERS, FISHERS & FARMERS PARTY

The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers party opposes;

• unwarranted efforts on banning recreational fishing within Commonwealth marine reserves
• the creation or expansion of any marine park networks

See their policy below

Alliance letter sent to Katter’s Australian Party

RESPONSE RECEIVED FROM THE HON BOB KATTER MP

Good afternoon,

Bob thanks you for the time you have taken to write to him. Your correspondence is appreciated and has been noted.

Whilst other parties might wish to make hollow promises during an election period, Bob has well known stances on key policy areas and often leads debate to promote positive action when matters are in the public arena.

Staffing limits and time constraints limit our ability to produce long winded policy statements that provide much gloss and little substance.

Should you be advocating for positive change we would encourage you to seek the support of Bob and or other politicians following the election period when real change can, and should, happen.

Again, we thank you for your correspondence.

Kind regards,

Electorate Officer

to Hon Bob Katter MP | Federal Member for Kennedy

Mount Isa | Phone: 07 4743 3534 | Fax: 07 4743 0189 |

Canberra | Phone: 02 6277 4978 | Fax: 02 6277 8558 |

Alliance letter sent to Liberal Democrats Party

Alliance letter sent to United Australia Party

Alliance letter sent to One Nation

Alliance letter sent to Australian Greens

RESPONSE RECEIVED FROM ADAM BANDT MP

Good afternoon,

Thank you for your email and interest the Australian Greens’ policies. I am replying on behalf of Adam Bandt, leader of the Greens.

Marine Protected Areas are a vital complement of ocean conservation, helping to safeguard biodiversity and manage resilient areas of the oceans in the face of challenges like climate change and pollution. Strengthening these areas, and preventing their deterioration is critical to maintaining healthy oceans. We remain committed to their preservation, and reforming federal government fisheries management using an ecosystem based approach; both will be based on updated science. The Greens believe more can be done to enhance the network, balancing the needs of fisheries and recreational users, with the ecological needs of our oceans particularly to protect them from  the impacts of climate change.

If you’d like to find out more about our policies, you can visit https://greens.org.au/platform/enviro.

Kind regards,

Policy Adviser
Office of Adam Bandt

Leader of the Australian Greens and Member for Melbourne