Senator Joyce said today, “The latest bill called the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2008 is yet another attack on the rights and lifestyle of Queenslanders, especially North Queenslanders, and a complete slap in the face to North QLD after they delivered to Canberra a QLD Prime Minister, a QLD Treasurer and most seats from Gladstone up.

“This hands the Great Barrier Reef over to zealots, with the new objectionable catchall phrase of the “precautionary principle” in 12 Subsection 3(1).

“This legislation now incriminates all”:

9 Subsection 3(1)

Fishing means any of the following:
(a) searching for, or taking, fish;
(b) attempting to search for, or take, fish;
(c) engaging in any other activities that can reasonably be expected to result in the locating of, or taking of, fish;
(d) placing, searching for or recovering fish aggregating devices or associated electronic equipment such as radio beacons;
(e) any operations at sea directly in support of, or in preparation for, any activity described in this definition;
(f) aircraft use relating to any activity described in this definition except flights in emergencies involving the health or safety of crew members or the safety of a launch, vessel or floating craft of any description.

“According to this subsection of the bill, if a person is believed to be searching for fish they have committed a criminal act. So now if you could be reasonably expected to locate a fish you will be partaking in criminal activity. Without seeing it, I don’t think many people would believe it.

“This is the Labor party delivering to an Orwellian green nirvana and it is disgusting to see a number of Queenslanders who now, by reason of the indictment of this legislation, hold convictions against their name because they accidentally went fishing in the wrong place. You must understand that they don’t draw lines on the ocean to tell you where you can and cannot go.

“People must realise that if the “precautionary principle” as a form of law is allowed to go forward, then it threatens not only the fisherman on the Great Barrier Reef but all fishing zones around the country and, as a principle, takes our law to the farcical.

“Laws should be based on science, laws should be based on fact and laws should be based on socioeconomic statements. They should not be based on pure emotion. “Precautionary principle” is an emotional catchall that attacks the principles of good legislation. The 2006 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park review recommended the need for transparent scientific and socioeconomic analyses. This amendment bill completely ignores the Department of Environment’s review.

“I hope the people of North QLD take this fight up to Mr Rudd, Mr Swan and your local Labor members. And I hope that the people living on the coast around our nation understand the ramifications of this if it is ‘the one that gets away’.

“Fishing with your son or daughter on a Sunday afternoon should not involve a possible criminal conviction by reason of an emotional interpretation that cannot be sustained by economics or science but is based purely on what certain people believe is precautionary.

“I look forward to the public explanation of those who represent you in Canberra as to why this legislation is anything but bad news for North QLD, what will become bad news for Moreton Bay, and will certainly be bad news for any other fishing zone in Australia.”

Ends