Federal Government extends marine parks

[Catchin Jack]

Below is a transcript of an interview on AM ABC with Mr Bourke. Please keep responses civil and add on any more updates on locations and types of restriction/s

TONY EASTLEY: The Federal Government will today officially declare a network of marine reserves around Australia.

That done, work will need to begin on how to manage the reserves and how to dole out compensation to fishing businesses that will be hit by the plan.

Lexi Metherell reports.

LEXI METHERELL: The marine reserves will span about 2.3 million kilometres of ocean.

That's equivalent to an area almost one-third the size of Australia.

TONY BURKE: These are the identical concept to national parks only in the ocean instead of on land.

LEXI METHERELL: The Environment Minister Tony Burke is officially declaring the marine reserve network after consulting over a proposal released in the middle of the year. The network is made up of six marine regions which encircle Australia.

TONY BURKE: There are some areas where you've got fishing still continuing but some activities such as trawling are banned. You've got some areas where oil and gas exploration is banned. And then you've got a number of areas that are highly protected where all forms of extractive activity are banned.

RON BOSWELL: It's very significant and very damaging to the professional fishing industry and also the amateur fishing industry.

LEXI METHERELL: The Queensland Nationals Senator Ron Boswell has campaigned against the reserves.

RON BOSWELL: Overall we've got now one-third of the world's marine parks right in our backyard, encircling Australia, preventing amateur fishing and professional fishing.

The compensation they talk about is $100 million. That is not going to go far enough. There is going to be a lot of people put out of business with no compensation.

MARTIN EXEL: I am worried genuinely at the concept of capping compensation for Australians when setting aside these vast areas of water.

LEXI METHERELL: Martin Exel is the chairman of the Commonwealth Fisheries Association, which represents commercial fishers. He's concerned the $100 million set aside in compensation won't be enough.

MARTIN EXEL: Surely the concept would be if you are negatively impacted, you should receive compensation - pretty easy.

TONY BURKE: You can't have an open-ended bottomless pit. You need people to know what the parameters are they're working within.

LEXI METHERELL: The Environment Minister Tony Burke.

TONY BURKE: It's important to not overstate the impact on the commercial side. This entire project has an impact of less than 1 per cent of the total value of production for our wild catch fisheries.

LEXI METHERELL: He says work begins now on how to distribute the compensation package.

TONY BURKE: It's about for those businesses for that are particularly affected, the fishing businesses, of being able to make sure that there is an appropriate payment there. And we are going to be working through those on a case-by-case basis.

LEXI METHERELL: The Government also has to figure out how each region will be managed.

TONY BURKE: This is where we get down to the absolute detail, location by location, about what gear is allowed, what gear is not allowed in different zones. And that work will happen over summer.

But at the end of all of this, the principle that we set out to achieve is now in front of us and that is that Australia, with this becoming law today, is in a position now where we are the world leader on protection of the oceans. And as the biggest island continent, the only island nation of that sort of size, we should be the world leader in the oceans. And as of today we are.

LEXI METHERELL: It is still some time before there'll be any change for people who use the waters in the marine reserves. They'll only see new rules come into force in the middle of 2014.

TONY EASTLEY: Lexi Metherell with that report.

But 2.3 million kilometres of ocean? Seems a lot, I can understand restricting commercial fishing but it will affect the rec fisherman also.

[jpg9843]

Maps: Australia's marine reserves

http://www.environment.gov.au/marinereserves/index.html

[boattart]

Lets start with compensation. By definition according to the Oxford dictionary.

something, typically money, awarded to someone in recognition of loss, suffering, or injury:

something that counterbalances or makes up for an undesirable or unwelcome state of affairs:

So the Government will pay compensation from where? Taxpayers funds. This government talks about compensation like they are pulling there own wallet out of their on back pocket but it's public money they are using. Public money they raise from recreational anglers as well. And what compensation for the traditional tourist towns that rely on family holidays or bait and tackle shops.

The marine parks were a whim of the US environmental group PEW who have openly admitted that they would have never attempted a plan such as this in US waters because of the economic damage it would cause. And I'm sure when they came up with this plan they never expected it to be adopted without some sort watering down. Instead we have a Government that is determined to put there stamp in the history books with no understanding or consulation with the people affected most.

[Yowie]

As boattart states, the general public will be paying for the compensation, either out of their pockets, or when the retarded Federal Government borrows more money from overseas and the general public pay that back in more taxes. Never had such a wasteful government with people's money, the worst ever. Today's younger generation will be paying back this borrowed money for many years yet.

All this Federal Government is interested in is being number 1 of everything, as that idiot Burke states, Australia will be number 1 in declaring Marine Parks. I don't give a rat's arse if we are. The government should be looking after the people, not their own egos.

I also cannot see why they have so many different zones, some of them side by side. How will most people know where the different zones start and finish?