18 Sep 2002 Legislative Assembly 3607 WEDNESDAY, 18 SEPTEMBER 2002 Mr SPEAKER (Hon. R. K. Hollis, Redcliffe) read prayers and took the chair at 9.30 a.m. Mr SPEAKER: Order! It is my pleasure this morning to welcome to the public gallery students, parents and teachers of the Binjour Plateau State School in the electorate of Callide. It is also my pleasure to welcome students, parents and teachers from Glenala State High School in the electorate of Inala. PRIVILEGE Redcliffe Dolphins; Ipswich Jets Mr LIVINGSTONE (Ipswich West—ALP) (9.32 a.m.): I rise on a matter of privilege. There is a misleading article in the Redcliffe Herald which I bring to your attention today, Mr Speaker, attributed to you. It refers to the Redcliffe Dolphins and how well they have played all year. You claim that they have been the best team and that they are going to win this weekend. I just assure you that the Ipswich Jets will be down there on the weekend and there is every likelihood that you won't even score. Mr SPEAKER: I do not think that is a matter of privilege, Mr Livingstone. PETITIONS Pedestrian Crossing, Aspley Ms Barry from 402 petitioners requesting the House install a signalised pedestrian crossing adjacent to the "Aspley Court" residential village on Albany Creek Road, Aspley or within 100 metres to the west of the entrance to the village. Sugar Industry Mr Mulherin from 270 petitioners requesting the House to work with the sugar industry to address issues of best practice, modernisation, training, employment and cost efficiency, in a whole of government, whole of community fashion. Sugar Industry Ms Jarratt from 288 petitioners requesting the House to work with the sugar industry to address issues of best practice, modernisation, training, employment and cost efficiency, in a whole of government, whole of community fashion. Sugar Industry Mr Malone from 202 petitioners requesting the House to work with the sugar industry to address issues of best practice, modernisation, training, employment and cost efficiency, in a whole of government, whole of community fashion. Dingo Eradication, Woocoo Shire Dr Kingston from 158 petitioners requesting the House to arrange for the eradication of dingoes in the Woocoo shire area. MINISTERIAL STATEMENT Office of the Governor Hon. P. D. BEATTIE (Brisbane Central—ALP) (Premier and Minister for Trade) (9.35 a.m.), by leave: I rise to speak about the annual report of the Office of the Governor. I note that in accordance with the Financial Administration and Audit Act 1977 the annual report of the Office of the Governor for 2001-02 has been furnished by that office and tabled by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. I wish to advise members that I have received a copy of the annual report from the Office of the Governor. I note that this is the third such report since the Office of the Governor was defined as a department for the purposes of financial administration, and I commend the report to members. 3608 Ministerial Statement 18 Sep 2002 MINISTERIAL STATEMENT Fishing Industry Hon. P. D. BEATTIE (Brisbane Central—ALP) (Premier and Minister for Trade) (9.34 a.m.), by leave: I want to thank Queenslanders who fish for a living or fish for pleasure. They have responded sensibly and responsibly to government proposals that would ensure the long-term ecological health of our marine and aquatic environments. On 1 September the Minister for Primary Industries, Henry Palaszczuk, and I released on behalf of the government two regulatory impact statements which aim for Queensland to continue being an anglers' paradise. The proposals are for all Queenslanders who work in the industry, who love to fish and who enjoy tucking into freshly-landed seafood. This includes families who have made an honest living from the fishing industry for generations. That was one of the reasons why we launched this on Father's Day. The stark reality is that our fish stocks are diminishing with disturbing speed. Pressure on the resource has increased significantly in the past 20 years. Unless we act now to protect the resource, some of our most popular table species may not be on our grandchildren's menu. We are seeking broad public comment until early October on the general marine and freshwater regulatory impact statements, which were developed in consultation with industry stakeholders. So far the Department of Primary Industries has sent out more than 3,000 copies of the regulatory impact statements documents for comment. The feedback received at this stage has been generally constructive and positive, and again I thank people for that. The proposals in the regulatory impact statements include reductions in bag limits for certain species and area and seasonal closures for certain species, and members should understand why we have to do that. How crazy it would be not to close specific areas during spawning. Other proposals include regulations pertaining to permitted fishing gear and amendments to the freshwater fisheries management plan introduced in 1999 to affect bag and size limits, fishing gear, closed seasons and closed waters. An example is the proposal to reduce the recreational bag limits for spotted mackerel and snapper from the current 30 to five. I have to say that I do not know any recreational fisher who hauls in 30 spotted mackerel or 30 snapper. It is certainly not something I have experienced, but I do not claim to be the best fisher around the place. Mr Palaszczuk: The Treasurer is a good one. Mr BEATTIE: Yes, the Treasurer is a good fisher. As all members would know, fish have nothing to fear from me! Ms Bligh: Fish are safe. Mr BEATTIE: Fish are safe; that is right. And they are smart fish, too. They are very smart. Mr Schwarten interjected. Mr BEATTIE: All right. Let us move on. Thank you for that. I just think 'Public Works and Prisons' has a ring to it. Also, the minimum size for snapper will increase from 30 centimetres to 35 centimetres and the minimum size for spotted mackerel will increase from 50 centimetres to 60 centimetres. We are also talking about a new bag limit of five flathead, increasing the minimum size from 30 centimetres to 40 centimetres and introducing a maximum flathead size of 60 centimetres. Commercial fishers would also be asked to pull their weight under these proposed changes. We are talking about everybody, not just one side. A government member: We're on the side of the fish. Mr BEATTIE: That is right; we are. I take the minister's interjection. We are on the side of the fish. For instance, for the first time there would be a spotted mackerel quota on commercial fishers. There are very good reasons for these proposals. We have seen concerning declines in the commercial harvest of snapper from a high of 146 tonnes in 1998 to about 80 tonnes in 2000. The commercial harvest of spotted mackerel in 2000 was more than double that of the years from 1996 to 1999. This is also concerning, because such a rate simply cannot be sustained. I have been very impressed with the constructive public comments I have heard about these proposals. Most people are aware that we cannot take our fisheries for granted. Seasoned fishers will tell you that they are not catching as many fish today as they were 10 years ago. Anyone who wants to be critical of these proposals should just go and ask someone who fishes. Queenslanders realise that they cannot assume that their grandchildren will have the pleasurable experience of cooking up their own catch. It shows that people who fish are selfless 18 Sep 2002 Ministerial Statement 3609 and far sighted, and I thank them for that. I commend them for this and encourage them to continue responding to the proposals for making our fisheries more sustainable. This is about sustainability. We have to have a vision for the future, and we are prepared to work towards achieving that vision. MINISTERIAL STATEMENT Queensland Women's Round Table Hon. P. D. BEATTIE (Brisbane Central—ALP) (Premier and Minister for Trade) (9.40 a.m.), by leave: My Government wants to strengthen our engagement with all Queenslanders, including women and girls. The 2002 Queensland Women's Round Table, which we hosted here at Parliament House last week, highlights that commitment. The round table marked the official start of community consultations for a report called Mapping the future, which I launched during the historic parliamentary sitting in Townsville. The paper examines issues affecting Queensland women and girls now and into the future, but we want to hear from men and boys as well. The Office for Women is holding a series of consultations around the state and we are seeking feedback on the paper until 18 October. I would like to say how delighted I was with the excellent response the round table drew from community groups across the state. It was applauded by the minister, Wendy Edmond, and the parliamentary secretary to the Minister for Health, Lindy Nelson-Carr. The parliamentary secretary and I jointly addressed a number of women here at Parliament House who had attended the round table. Some 154 people representing 71 organisations attended over the two days, including representatives from most government departments. Organisations represented included Sexual Assault Services, Indigenous Women from Thursday Island, the South Sea Islander Association from Mackay, the Older Women's Network, the Ethnic Communities Council, Agforce, Volunteering Queensland, Women at Work, Young Mothers and Young Parenting Groups, and the Youth Affairs Network. Discussions centred on health and wellbeing, education and training, supporting women who are carers, and women who are in leadership.