3 Sep 2020

Monthly update from the NSWCFA Executive Committee 3 Sep 2020

This email includes a summary of minutes from our latest NSWCFA exec committee meeting plus some other relevant documents. The file attached contains:

• Latest Exec Committee minutes • Letter to Fisheries Minister Adam Marshall about delay in approving regulations to ban “opera house” style yabby traps • Letter to Premier Gladys Berejiklian about Minister’s delay in approving regulations to ban “opera house” style yabby traps • Submission by Central Acclimatisation Society about the NSW government’s draft strategic plan for Crown lands • Submission by Monaro Acclimatisation Society about the NSW government’s draft strategic plan for Crown lands • Examples of signage the NSWCFA has been discussing alerting recreational fishers to access issues on waterways • Letter to Minister Adam Marshall about delay in release of minutes from meetings of Recreational Fishing NSW Advisory Council and Recreational Fishing Trusts • Letter to Minister Adam Marshall about delay in reviewing and making public a study and report into options for recreational fishing in Sydney water impoundments (a study paid for by the Recreational Fishing Freshwater Trust) • Letter to Environment Minister Matt Kean supporting culling of feral horses from Kosciuszko National Park

Correspondence is on website to read

We have linked to a page on our website so you can read some of the recent correspondence—we will keep that up to date so that member organisations can see what’s going on.

If there is a topic especially relevant to your club, you can support our efforts by writing to NSW DPI Fisheries, various ministers and shadow ministers, your local members, Recreational Fishing NSW Advisory Council (which controls the Recreational Fishing Freshwater Trust Expenditure Committee), etc. Give us a ring or email if we can give you any info that would help you do that.

About the monthly Exec Committee meetings

The monthly Exec Committee meetings happen via Zoom at 6.30 pm on the evening of the last Wednesday of each month. They last about an hour and have been very productive since we started them, long before the COVID-19 situation.

Zoom meetings are working well

COVID-19 seems to have given our meetings a bit of a boost—Zoom attendance doesn’t require much time, travel or expense, and we get through the business without too much stuffing around. The meetings are mainly for members of the Exec Committee but there’s nothing that’s top secret...if clubs have anything urgent that they think needs dealing with sooner rather than later, contact your regional vice president (listed on the website www.freshwateranglers.com.au) or your club delegate, or the Hon Secretary via [email protected] so that the issue can be addressed, and if appropriate, you can be part of the Zoom meeting. The Exec Committee meetings usually include some of our members who are delegates to the Recreational Fishing NSW Advisory Council, the Recreational Fishing Freshwater Expenditure Trust Committee and the Recreation Fishing Alliance of NSW, giving us good channels into those bodies.

Quarterly meetings are now on Zoom

Of course, the main items of business are still discussed at the NSWCFA’s quarterly general meetings. All clubs get a full set of notices, minutes and financial reports for those meetings, via emails to their delegates, which we hope they pass on to their members.

Contact us

Give me a ring or email if we can help. Main email is [email protected], and my phone is 0425 211 313.

Regards

Peter Gibson

President

NSWCFA Executive Meeting using ZOOM Wednesday 26 Aug 2020 at 6:40 pm Outcomes Participants Peter Gibson, Mike Timbrell, Radge Diakiw, Don Salter, Bill Blair

Apologies Don Barton, Steve Samuels, Charles Atkin and Peter Johnson,.

July Executive Notes Endorsed. (Timbrell/Diakiw)

Actions Arising • Angler Access Website o Email sent by Diakiw was disseminated as part of August OGM. o Diakiw to pursue if no response before next Executive Meeting.

• Opera House Trap Ban o Second Letter to Minister tabled.

• Retaining Access to TSRs and Public Reserves o CAS response to Crown Land Review will be distributed.

• Angler understanding of access to water o Alistair McBurnie offered up sign designs. o DPI Legal Staff had expressed concerns about the signage in the past. o Timbrell will consider what next steps should be.

• Constitutional amendment o Action will recommence in slow time Gibson/Blair. Developmental drafts/issues will be tabled at future Exec meetings.

• Honours Project – “angler fishing experience” o Timbrell has been asked to review who is being interviewed. o Affiliates, and other clubs through Freshwater Fisher, will be requested to identify possible diaries.

• Honours Project – impact on water of grazing practices o On hold pending ethic and OHS approval.

Other Business • Go Fishing Day. o Samuels was advised yesterday by Bryan Van Der Walt DPI that there will be changes to Gone Fishing Day. As he recalled it, the day will be held “virtually”. How this is translated is not clear, it will develop. A live venue day will also be held once the Covid19 situation calms and NSW Govt revises down restrictions on “events”. More information will be shared when it arrives.

• Minister Keen letter.

26 Aug 2020 Executive Meeting minutes pre distribution draft as at 26 Aug 2020 pg. 1 o Additional points from Kerry Pfeiffer will be examined by Gibson to consider what might be added in supporting Minister Keen’s stance to remove brumbies from Kosciuszko National Park. o New draft to Executive in the next day or so.

• RecFish Meeting on Saturday. o NSWCFA remains on their membership list. o Gibson will examine the situation, even though we’ve indicated we’d leave it to RFANSW, and will report back. • CAA. o No resolution at the moment whether it will go ahead. o Gibson and Barton resolving who would speak.

• Impoundments Report. o Gibson drafting a letter with assistance from Diakiw expressing concern that RFFTEC paid for the study and no progress from Minister. o Consideration that FoI may be considered. Will consider if we approach RFFTEC to fund.

• Other Correspondence Matters. o Gibson counselled that we should not send .doc, and instead send .pdf. If necessary Gibson can do the conversion.

• Single Contact Database. o Gibson, Diakiw, Salter and Blair working to create a single database.

• Actions Still in Effect. o Gibson will develop this idea which document how NSWCFA actually works - SOPs.

• RFANSW. o Atkin has shown interest in being the second NSWCFA rep and has sat in on a recent meeting. He and Blair will attend the 2020 AGM – 17 Sep.

• Trout Allocation Committee Meeting. o Zoom meeting was cancelled. It would appear DPI will be dealing with each Acclimatisation Society individually. o Allocation seems to be dynamic, perhaps due to restricted stock availability.

Next Executive Meeting The Executive agreed to conduct its next meeting on Wednesday 30 September 2020 at 6.30 pm using Zoom.

Close The meeting closed at 7:40 pm.

26 Aug 2020 Executive Meeting minutes pre distribution draft as at 26 Aug 2020 pg. 2

20 August 2020

The Hon Adam Marshall, MP Minister for Agriculture and Western New South Wales GPO Box 5341 SYDNEY NSW 2001 Opera House “Platypus” Traps Dear Minister,

In our letter to you of 21 May 2020, the New South Wales Council of Freshwater Anglers (NSWCFA) asked specifically when you intend to ban the use of opera house traps by recreational anglers and when you expect to release the outcome of consultations between Fisheries NSW and licensed commercial yabby fishers in the Western Division of NSW on the use of opera house traps. But your recent response (your reference OM20/3819) failed to provide this advice.

We ask again, when are you going to ban the use of opera house traps? We continue to be disappointed with your response—while this matter has been before you for well over a year now, platypus and other wildlife continue to die in what can be described as “platypus traps”.

We note that: • The use of these traps has been banned in Victoria and, more recently, in the ACT; • Your own Recreational Fishing NSW Advisory Council in its February 2019 minutes endorsed a recommendation to prohibit the use of opera house traps; • your colleague, The Hon Matt Kean, MP, Minister for Energy and the Environment, is concerned about the impact of these traps on native wildlife, and supports measures that will help and preserve native wildlife species.

We cannot understand why you continue to delay banning the use of these traps when you had the opportunity to do so well before any supposed disruptions caused by COVID-19.

NSW Council of Freshwater Anglers Inc PO Box 537, Paddington NSW 2021 Email [email protected] Web www.freshwateranglers.com.au ABN 22 497 104 592

Thank you for your invitation to discuss opera house traps with Mr Peter Turnell, but members of the NSWCFA, have, over more than 18 months, had discussions with Mr Turnell and other departmental officers on this subject, to no avail. Mr Turnell does not have the authority to sign off on the regulation—only you, as Minister, have that power. The NSWCFA considers the delay in introducing the ban unacceptable and is investigating other ways of achieving this ban.

Yours faithfully

Peter Gibson President NSW Council of Freshwater Anglers cc Mr Peter Turnell Group Director, Recreational &Aboriginal Fisheries

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20 August 2020 [email protected]

Feedback on the draft State Strategic Plan for Crown land

Please see the following submissions in respect of the draft State Strategic Plan for Crown land

Introduction

These submissions have been prepared on behalf of the Central Acclimatisation Society Inc, which was initially incorporated under the Fisheries Act and subsequently under the Associations Incorporation Act.

The Society has a long history of enhancing freshwater fish stocks in the Central Tablelands of NSW by re-stocking and preservation and restoration of key aspects of fish habitat, including spawning beds, refuge pools, riparian vegetation (which hosts a large variety of terrestrial insects which form a critical part of the diet of many freshwater fish) and works closely with Local Land Services and NSW Fisheries.

Our Wallerawang Branch has vigorously fought to protect the viability of the upper Coxs River and of trout spawning beds in particular. Our interest is not limited to recreational fish species, such as trout, bass or golden perch. It extends to conservation of threatened species such as the Macquarie Perch. In fact, the Society has taken a position of strong support or the Macquarie Perch recovery project in the Central tablelands.

Our Sofala Branch has been vigorous over decades in seeking to protect and enhance the Murray Cod population in the upper Macquarie River and has been very supportive of the trout Cod recovery programme, solely as a conservation issue.

Virtually all our members are keen freshwater anglers with experience in freshwater fishing around Australia (e.g. Cape York, the Kimberly, Victorian high country, Northern Territory, waters of the MDB and eastern watershed) and overseas (New Zealand, Alaska, Japan etc), and in the Central Tablelands of NSW in particular.

Access to rivers and streams is critically important to a viable freshwater fishery and many access points in the Central Tablelands are via Crown lands, such as TSRs, and other public land such as Crown roads. There are many additional points of access which could be effected via Crown lands, if the Strategic plan were appropriately finalised and implemented.

Submissions addressing the draft State Strategic Plan for Crown land

3.3.1 Enable jobs growth, commercial opportunities and sustainable economic progress in regional and rural NSW

Email: [email protected] PO Box 913 Katoomba 2780 0417 298 731

Submission We are disappointed by the seeming favouring of the recreational needs of coastal dwellers and virtual silence in the draft State Strategic Plan for Crown land as to comparable needs of rural populations.

The beds of many inland rivers and streams appear to be Crown Land as the left and right banks of many a water course form the boundaries (as metes and bounds) of the adjacent freehold subdivisions, yet this is not acknowledged at all in the draft State Strategic Plan.

For many rural people, picnicking, canoeing or swimming in rivers and streams is the equivalent of going to the beach or the harbour for many city people. This is not acknowledged in the Vision. Furthermore, the intangible benefits of recreational fishing should not be overlooked (see Identifying the health and well-being benefits of recreational fishing, Prof A. McManus, Dr W. Hunt, J. Storey, J. White; FRDC report 2011/217).

It is incontestable that improved access to rivers and streams has significant attraction for many tourists, and the angling tourist in particular. See further below on tourism.

Expand regional tourism

Submission We strongly support this and note the importance of the attractions of inland rivers and streams for tourism.

There are many tourists prepared to travel in regional NSW in pursuit of bird watching, recreational fishing or kayaking.

For example, the author of these submissions often travels to NZ to fish because of the significantly better access to rivers and streams. In so doing, he met an American missionary couple on long service leave from their posting in south Asia who had sought out the same remote water course as the author in order to try for a photograph of a black stilt (a water bird). Sometime weeks later, while fishing down Deniliquin way, he met the same couple engaged in the same pursuit, now in Australia. But to catch the fish or get the bird photograph, one needs legal access to the river or stream.

Such tourists as the bird watcher or angler are largely invisible to the mainstream tourist industry as they tend to make their own plans based on particular research. However, properly addressed, they represent a significant untapped tourist market.

Many foreign anglers would regard the opportunity to catch a Murray Cod in a river or stream as the angling opportunity of a lifetime. Given better access, Murray Cod would easily rival NZ trout or Alaskan salmon as a lure for the travelling international angler.

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Assist new sustainable energy, resources and infrastructure projects

Make land available for wind and solar generation etc

Submission We note that properly managed, none of this would create access problems when occurring on Crown Land bordering waterways. All that would be needed would be to have planners being mindful of the issue and consequently ensuring relatively small easements here and there for access to the rivers and streams by anglers, canoeists and bird watchers etc. with consequent enhancement of amenity and attraction for rural populations and tourists.

Seek opportunities to integrate green and open space into existing leases and licenses (p.41) Submission We strongly support this. In many cases, establishing an easement along and to the banks of watercourses would greatly enhance appropriate recreational opportunities, riparian conservation and fish habitat with consequent benefit for rural communities and tourists.

Support and restore environmental values on Crown land (p.43)

Submission We strongly support this and note the potential for greening of those parts of riparian zones that are Crown Land to produce financial benefits as carbon offsets, besides the immeasurable benefits to the freshwater fishery and other conservation values. The importance of the riparian zone for fish and other aquatic lifeforms should not be underestimated.

Manage Crown land to build resilience in a changing climate (p.43) Communities across NSW are preparing to meet the impacts of climate change, including rising sea levels, longer and more intense drought and fre seasons, and more intense storms, fooding and coastal erosion. In many cases, proactive land management is a critical component of mitigating these risks for communities, habitats and species. Crown land is often positioned at the interface between natural hazards and sensitive land uses (eg coasts, waterways, riverbeds and peri-urban bushland). It has also long played a refuge role, including through travelling stock reserves and showgrounds.

Submission We support this and refer to the submission below citing the potential benefits of traditional aboriginal cultural burning.

Strengthen and uphold compliance to ensure a fair go (p.48) Submission We support this. For too long, in our experience, Crown land has been abused by unscrupulous persons with seeming immunity from the consequences one would expect if there had been properly resourced compliance activity.

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3.3.4 Work with Aboriginal communities to realise the potential of their land rights (p.50)

Submission We sympathise with and support this, but submit that reasonable provision should be made where possible to ensure access of all to waterways for legitimate recreational purposes, and, conversely, assistance for aboriginal communities to effectively communicate a better understanding and respect by non-aboriginals of traditional land use and especially of culturally significant places.

We will explore co-management of suitable areas of Crown land with Aboriginal groups who have the knowledge and interest to collaborate in land management. (p.56)

Submission We support this. Anglers have a strong interest in restoration of riparian zones and are at the same time aware of the need to manage bushland with due regard to bushfire mitigation. From the examples that were experienced on the South Coast during the 2019-2020 bushfire season it is extremely likely that support for traditional aboriginal cultural burning, for example, will produce the ideal outcome for seemingly conflicting goals.

4.1 Make more of our information available and transparent (p.59) Submission We strongly support this. Many opportunities for accessing rivers and streams for fishing are missed because of the lack of transparency relating to tenure status.

This is, unfortunately, often exacerbated by the conduct of individuals who frequently attempt to assert greater rights than those they actually have, to the disadvantage of the public.

For example, the road in to one of the largest public reserves on the upper Macquarie River was unknown for many years owing to the owner of the adjacent freehold land disguising the entrance to the road, thereby effectively allowing the reserve to become his private domain. From satellite photographs, it appears that a large part of the reserve has been cleared but it is unknown whether this was ever permitted.

Similar situations abound, in our experience.

The present cost and inconvenience of making reliable enquiries or searches as to tenure of Crown Land are prohibitive.

Final Submission Given the importance of Crown Lands for the viability of the freshwater fishery generally and for freshwater fishing as an important recreational activity in rural areas, especially as to access, and the actual and potential economic benefits (the value of the Snowy Mountains trout fishery has been valued in the vicinity of $60 million - Economic survey of the Snowy

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Mountains Trout Fishery, Dominion Consulting Pty. Ltd., February 2001, and recreational fishing in the Murray Darling Basin in excess of $1 billion - Benefits of the Basin Plan for the fishing industries in the Murray-Darling Basin Ernst & Young for the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, 9 July 2012), it is inappropriate and extremely disappointing that anglers are not acknowledged as a specific stakeholder group.

Yours faithfully

Don Barton Secretary

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Monaro Acclimatisation Society Inc 9 Thompson Drive Tathra, NSW. 2550 Sustainable future fishing for trout and native fish

Re: State Strategic Plan – A Vision for Crown Land 2020

This submission on the proposed State Strategic Plan for NSW Crown lands 2020 is submitted on behalf of the members of the Monaro Acclimatisation Society Inc. The Monaro Acclimatisation Society Inc (MAS) of NSW is a voluntary organisation primarily concerned with the development and maintenance of freshwater fisheries in the south- eastern sector of NSW. The MAS is a primary stakeholder with the NSW Department of Fisheries. The MAS has been in existence for over 70 years and participates with NSW Fisheries in: the stocking of freshwater lakes and rivers with trout and native fish, maintenance of habitat, and policy and legislation development that affects fishing in NSW. The MAS is the pre-eminent organization concerned with angler access to rivers and lakes for the Snowy Mountains / Monaro Region of NSW. The MAS has 19 Branches with over 600 members and is a foundation member of the NSW Council of Freshwater Anglers Inc.

Each year members of the MAS stock over 300,000 trout into the waterways of the Snowy Mountains / Monaro Region. This is done on a purely voluntary basis with our members contributing their own time, vehicles and fuel to keep the waterways of this region adequately stocked for the public’s benefit.

The MAS is the Manager for the Paddys Corner Reserve located on the Thredbo River, Jindabyne NSW and as such we will be impacted directly by the Strategic Plan.

The MAS recognises the important natural values of our crown land estate. It is especially important to anglers who rely on the access that this estate provides to many fishing locations in saltwater and freshwater locations. If this access was removed the fishing community would be severely affected and there would be a significant flow on affect to the tourism industry.

Much of this public land provides a repository of original environmental values in a sea of ever-increasing development. Many economic benefits flow directly from preserving the natural values of crown land through tourism opportunities for people who wish to see and participate in this natural state rather than a developed one.

Anglers benefit from access to pristine rivers and streams through undeveloped crown land. As a collective we contribute over $70 million annually to the Snowy Mountains Regional economy alone.

The MAS acknowledges that there are some particularly good points in the proposed plans, however there are just as many concerns. Our approach here will be to focus on the concerns we hold for the future of Crown Lands under the proposed Strategic Plan.

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The MAS is concerned that the overarching tone of the proposed plan is for broadscale economic development of Crown Lands. In the majority of statements, the word “economic” precedes environmental, social and cultural. The subliminal message here is worrying and the proposed plan needs to strike a better balance across these four domains.

At Page 28, point 3.2, sub-point 1, the last sentence notes “Where possible we will seek opportunities that deliver multiple benefits simultaneously.” It is our long-held observation that when it comes to our green spaces, economic opportunities frequently clash with environmental, social and cultural ones and the latter generally lose out to the economic / commercialization opportunities.

If there is conflict between these opportunities Page 13 provides an insight with: Where there are competing claims, we aim to resolve them in a way that is fair, equitable and aligned with government priorities.

However, without understanding Government priorities and how they will change from time-to-time we are unsighted on balancing the priorities of managing crown lands.

However, we gain a hint on how competing priorities might be managed at Page 30, Point 3.3 “Priorities for Crown Land”, which states: Enable jobs growth, commercial opportunities and sustainable economic progress in regional and rural NSW. Again, the focus is on economic and commercialization opportunities and we make the assumption that these priorities are in line with those of the Government, so our conclusion is that with competing priorities resolution will favour jobs, commercial and economic over environmental, social and cultural. We find this very concerning.

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Page 32 to 36 reveals a strong call for monetizing the crown land estate. The short piece on tourism focusses on accommodation etc. and does not address the wider approach to enhance tourism through improved access to crown land for activities such as fishing bushwalking, photography, birdwatching etc. The narrow focus on the economic activity of providing accommodation needs to be balanced with other non-developmental activities that rely on the natural environment.

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Page 41 speaks of “publish maps of crown lands and encourage crown land managers and the public to help identify land that could be used in a different way.” It calls on this in the specific context of “to expand green and urban space” . We hope that the scope of such mapping will be expanded to include environments other than the urban. There are many crown lands reserves and roads that provide access to waterways for fishing and other activities but since the inception of the crown estate these places have been kept hidden from public view. The result has been that many of these places have been left neglected because the public does not know they exist. Many of these parcels of land have been given to nearby landholders under a system of leases and permits. In many instances these landholders, over time, have come to believe they “own” these crown 3 lands and have sought to keep the public out by the erection of “keep out” signs, illegal buildings and developments.

The MAS is supportive of an accessible mapping system that identifies all crown lands so the public may obtain access to them as is their right. This comprehensive mapping will enable the public to make a significant contribution to identifying lands that could be used in a different way.

However, mapping is only part of the issue. It is one thing to see a line on a map, it is another entirely to be able to find that spot on the ground. The MAS would also support a system where managers and lessees of crown lands (in every form) be required to erect signage on the land identifying it as crown land. This could be implemented as part of their lease or management agreement or license.

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Page 44 and beyond proposes as very narrow view of community connections. Beaches get a mention but not our rivers or other wilderness places that form part of the crown estate. The consequence of this is a very constrained list of “Community Connection” ideas on Page 66.

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Now back to page 13. The Outcomes here refer to regional tourism, but then on Page 65 the only tourism element is the very narrow support for showgrounds. We note here that there is intention to “Conduct a portfolio review in collaboration with the tourism industry”, however we have no idea what this means or what it would entail.

It is well-documented that fishing has more active participants in NSW than any other recreational activity and many access points to fishing venues for both fresh and salt water are on crown land. It would improve the tenor of the document if it recognized that continued access to unspoiled landscapes for recreational pursuits such as fishing, bushwalking will be at the least maintained and at the best improved.

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At Page 30, under Outcomes Strengthen and uphold compliance to ensure a fair go and at Page 48 Strengthen and uphold compliance to ensure a fair go.

For many years, the MAS has been aware of and involved in fighting for fair access to some crown lands. Specifically, these disputes involve a nearby land holder who has a non-exclusive lease and has tried to bar public access. In many of the instances we have found the willingness of the Lands Department wanting in enforcing the legislation it operates under. In many cases the benefit has been given to the landholder who “howls the loudest”. We can only hope that this proposed strategy will embolden the Department to administer its legislation to ensure that illegal restrictions on access to crown lands are dealt with swiftly. In this context it would be good for the plan to identify what the terms “strengthen” and “uphold” mean, as they are very general terms.

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As stated, the MAS is a current crown land manager. Over the past few years, we have sought to manage additional crown lands for the benefit of the public. We have been frustrated by the lack of access to Lands Department staff to assist us in this process. It seems that our area falls under the jurisdiction of the Goulburn Office, but there is no easy way to communicate with this office. Generally, trying to engage with the department has proven frustrating and does not reflect well on the department. Once again, we can only hope that this proposed plan will see the department invest more in its estate managers and provide adequate support to them.

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Western Division Crown Lands

The MAS notes that “fishing” is not a designated activity for access to crown lands in the Western Division. Many representations have been made by various fishing organisations over this anomaly, but to date the Department refuses to correct this imbalance. Fishing in the Western Division is generally limited to rivers and billabongs which form part of Western Division leases. While locals may have some access through friendships they have developed with lease holders, visitors wishing to fish are generally excluded. This proposed plan makes some mention of improved tourism. Providing access to the thousands of kilometres of river frontage in the Western Division lands for fishing would be a huge tourism boost to the small communities that dot the Western Division landscape.

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Overall we see that this proposed plan overwhelmingly seeks to expand the economic and commercialization of crown lands, but fails to adequately support the vast swathes of crown land that provide environmental refuge and contribute to social well-being through the natural quality of these places. We note that many crown lands border farming land and we are concerned that the proposed plan will encourage leaseholders and managers to economically develop these lands rather than focusing on preserving them in their natural state. The plan would be better received if it sought a better balance.

Our recommendations are:

1. Clarify how competing opportunities will be handled. 2. Place as much recognition on rural crown lands as you have done for urban. 3. Increase the recognition of social and environmental values for crown lands and associated activities. 4. Expand tourism to include activities beyond showgrounds and accommodation. 5. Commit to the publishing of a comprehensive and accessible map of all crown lands in NSW. 6. Provide dedicated Departmental staff to service the needs of land managers. 7. Streamline the process for community groups and current land managers to add to their managed lands portfolio for public benefit. 5

8. Expand the narrow view of Community Connections. 9. Commit to providing responsive and timely compliance action. 10. Commit to opening Western Division lands for the purpose of fishing. 11. Commit to providing a system where crown lands can be identified on the ground.

Steve Samuels President Monaro Acclimatisation Society Inc 8 August 2020

15 August 2020

The Hon Adam Marshall, MP Minister for Agriculture and Western New South Wales GPO Box 5341 SYDNEY NSW 2001

Delays in approving minutes of Recreational Fishing NSW Advisory Council meetings

Dear Minister,

The NSW Council of Freshwater Anglers, formed in 1958, is the peak representative body for the State’s freshwater anglers, focusing on fisheries management, conservation and regulatory matters, angler access, angling ethics, animal welfare and politics.

During the 1990s our organisation lobbied for the reintroduction of a freshwater fishing licence, and a number of our members were on the NSW Fisheries advisory committee which planned that reintroduction. Since then we have strongly advocated and promoted the licence system, the Recreational Fishing Trusts that managed the income from the licence, and several iterations of the advisory councils that approved the expenditure recommended by the Trust Expenditure Committees and ultimately advised the Ministers of the day. Our members have served on all of those bodies over the past 20 years.

Currently, the penultimate body assisting your decision making is the Recreational Fishing NSW Advisory Council (RFNSW). It is the final point of engagement between you and NSW recreational anglers selected to sit on the Trust/RFNSW committees and the NSW DPI Fisheries managers who depend on your approval of the Trusts’ recommendations for funding of important fisheries work.

The work of the Trust committees and RFNSW is usually become known to the public via the minutes of meetings published on the Fisheries website, containing information about projects which have been approved for funding. In the past, the publications of these minutes have been expedited by the Minister of the day, so that work on projects can quickly get underway.

However, at the moment, the latest set of minutes of RFNSW meetings available online is that of the February 2019 meeting. That meeting was 18 months ago, and two other RFNSW meetings have been held since then—also without any minutes being published.

Similarly, the latest minutes available online for the Recreational Fishing Saltwater Trust Expenditure Committee, and for the Recreational Fishing Freshwater Trust Expenditure Committee, are from January 2019.

NSW Council of Freshwater Anglers Inc PO Box 537, Paddington NSW 2021 Email [email protected] Web www.freshwateranglers.com.au ABN 22 497 104 592

We have been told by members of the Trusts/RFNSW and by Fisheries staff that the reason for the delays is that you have not signed off to approve the minutes of meetings which contain the funding recommendations.

Your tardiness has a number of unwelcome effects: • The public, including all licence-paying anglers, have no information about how their licence money is being spent; • Important projects recommended to you by RFNSW and Fisheries are not proceeding; actions, execution and reporting relating to these projects is delayed because they have simply not left the starting line; • We are hearing an increasing number of complaints from Trust Fund applicants and anglers that the proposed projects are not approved and are therefore not progressing; • Anglers are questioning the performance and effectiveness of well-intentioned and hitherto- respected representatives nominated as members of the Trusts/RFNSW—but are being met with embarrassed shrugs from those representatives; and, • The delays are destroying stakeholder confidence in not only the Trusts and RFNSW, but in the entire licence system.

The projects recommended to you by RFNSW and the Trusts are not incredibly expensive, and they are recommended within the known available Trust budgets. They are subject to reporting milestones and auditing. They are not controversial, nor do they have any political angle. They are not difficult to manage nor unlikely to fail—they are mostly just straightforward projects that are part of everyday recreational fisheries management. The decision to examine, query and review them should not be time consuming for yourself nor for your advisers within DPI Fisheries.

We ask that you expedite your approval of the minutes of these important Trust/RFNSW committees much more quickly, so that recreational fisheries in NSW can flourish and develop.

Yours sincerely,

Peter Gibson President, NSW Council of Freshwater Anglers

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1 September 2020

The Hon Adam Marshall, MP Minister for Agriculture and Western New South Wales GPO Box 5341 SYDNEY NSW 2001

Delays in review of recreational fishing access to Sydney water impoundments Dear Minister,

The NSW Council of Freshwater Anglers, formed in 1958, is the peak representative body for the State’s freshwater anglers, focusing on fisheries management, conservation and regulatory matters, angler access, angling ethics, animal welfare and politics.

For decades, recreational fishers have lobbied NSW governments for fishing access to water impoundments around Sydney. Recreational fishing access to those impoundments is very restricted, but careful relaxation of restrictions would provide a significant recreational benefit, as well as an economic boost to businesses on the fringe of the metropolitan area.

In 2016 your predecessor Niall Blair agreed to a review and requested a study and report. Consulting Firm Pulse Environmental, led by Mr Danny Simpson, was commissioned to undertake the study. The study was paid for with $30,000 from the Recreational Fishing Freshwater Trust. Pulse Consulting consulted widely with various stakeholders, including NSW DPI Fisheries, WaterNSW, and recreational fishing representatives from the Recreational Fishing NSW Advisory Council and the Recreational Fishing Freshwater Trust.

The study was completed in 2018 and at the end of that year a report was supposedly handed to Niall Blair, the minister at the time. The Recreational Fishing NSW Advisory Council meeting minutes from 22 November 2018 note that “DPI informed Council that the risk assessment into recreational fishing in Sydney water supply reservoirs has been peer reviewed and will be sent to stakeholders for comment before being sent to the Minister for consideration.” Unfortunately, it was NOT sent to stakeholders at all. Then the 4 February 2019 meeting minutes state that “DPI advised the risk assessment report has been finalised and is being provided to the Minister for consideration.”

Since then we have made enquiries to various managers within NSW DPI Fisheries but have been unable to find out the progress of the report. Instead we have been fobbed off with obfuscatory responses, including from NSW DPI’s Mr Jim Harnwell on 28 May 2019, “The Department is currently facilitating a report on the risk assessment process, including some of the issues raised in the risk assessment, for the consideration of the Minister for Agriculture and Western NSW, the Hon Adam Marshall”, and in a phone conversation with our Hon Secretary Radge Diakiw on 29 May, Mr Harnwell advised that DPI Fisheries refused to release the report or state when it would be available. NSW Council of Freshwater Anglers Inc PO Box 537, Paddington NSW 2021 Email [email protected] Web www.freshwateranglers.com.au ABN 22 497 104 592

In May 2019 and again in June 2019 the President of the Recreational Fishing Alliance also asked the chairs of the Recreational Fishing NSW Advisory Council and the Recreational Fishing Freshwater Trust to release a copy of the report. These requests were ignored.

On 18 June 2019 the NSWCFA received an email from Mr Cameron Westaway (NSW DPI) stating “it is appropriate for the risk assessment report to be submitted to our Minister for his consideration before it is made publicly available. I can assure you that the report will be provided to all relevant parties of interest as soon as possible.”

The study was funded by recreational fishers’ licence fees held in the Recreational Fishing Trusts. The long delay in revealing the recommendations of the report and any response by the NSW government is unacceptable—it renders the Trust’s expenditure a total waste of anglers’ licence contributions.

Can you please update us on when that report will be considered by you and when its contents will be made public?

Yours sincerely,

Peter Gibson President, NSW Council of Freshwater Anglers

2

28 August 2020

The Hon. Matt Kean MP GPO Box 5341 SYDNEY NSW 2001

Removal of feral horses from Kosciuszko National Park Dear Minister,

The NSW Council of Freshwater Anglers, formed in 1958, is the peak representative body for the State’s freshwater anglers, focusing on fisheries management, conservation and regulatory matters, angler access, angling ethics, animal welfare and politics.

Many of our members are keen visitors to Kosciuszko National Park for fishing, bushwalking, skiing and other activities. Over several decades we have witnessed first-hand the sudden increase of feral horse numbers in the Park and have seen the extraordinary damage they have caused.

We also watched with dismay as your colleague John Barilaro introduced the Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Bill 2018 into the NSW Parliament in 2018, ignoring advice from the government’s own agencies, independent scientific experts and the protests of many in the community.

We notice and strongly support your continuing efforts to remove and cull the horses—even in the face of opposition from within your own government. We urge you to press ahead with that program, indeed we would like to see the program greatly accelerated—the few thousand horses that might be removed in the immediate cull will be more than replaced by breeding by the remaining animals.

If you ever need expressions of support for the removal process or for your efforts, we will be pleased to offer every assistance.

Yours sincerely,

Peter Gibson President, NSW Council of Freshwater Anglers

NSW Council of Freshwater Anglers Inc PO Box 537, Paddington NSW 2021 Email [email protected] Web www.freshwateranglers.com.au ABN 22 497 104 592