OPEN LETTER TO QUEENSLAND RECREATIONAL FISHERS

[Member]

OPEN LETTER TO QUEENSLAND RECREATIONAL FISHERS


Dear Recreational Fisher

The Newman Government is spending more than $10 million from this year’s State budget on recreational fisheries management and activities.

Every single dollar of that very substantial amount, made available in very difficult economic times, fully supports recreational fishing in Queensland, and it is laid out clearly and publicly in the 2012-13 budget documents.

Unfortunately, a rather colourful, emotive, but misleading campaign is being waged by some competing fishing groups including Sunfish. Self-preservation and self-promotion may be contributing factors to the campaign, but many of the claims are simply not true and do not stand up to scrutiny.

For example, if less than $1m is raised from the Stocked Impoundment Permit Scheme (SIPS), and less than $5m is raised through the Recreational Use Fee (RUF) on recreational boat registrations, more than $4m is coming from somewhere else, and it’s not coming from the pockets of recreational fishers or from thin air. The remainder is coming directly from the Newman Government’s investment of public funds.

Services provided by Fisheries Queensland to recreational fishers from this $10m budget include :
•   compliance, surveillance and enforcement including boat ramp signage and community service announcements ($3.2m);
•   communication and education programs including free handbook for recreational fishers ($500,000);
•   fish stocking and recovery programs, pest fish education, and marine habitat protection ($2m);
•   recreational fishing survey including Keen Angler and online diary program ($300,000);
•   research, monitoring, and reporting activities ($2.5m); and
•   scientific assessment and policy development ($2m).

This funding is in addition to the $10m election commitment that will improve monitoring of recreational fishing and a buy-back of commercial netting licences.

Claims that the government has cut or redirected funding from the RUF for non-recreational fishing use are simply not true.  I can’t put it more clearly than that.  The entire amount that is raised through RUF, plus much more, is provided to Fisheries Queensland and is used to fund services related only to recreational fishing.

When I took over the Fisheries portfolio, I was disappointed to learn that some fishing groups such as Sunfish had been allowed to, and were, using government funds for their administration.

I believe the government must concentrate on investing in programs that directly support fishers – all fishers, not just those affiliated with a specific group. This is why the Newman Government has redirected this funding.  I believe administration of an industry body such as Sunfish should be paid for by its members. To give you an example, in April this year, Sunfish sent my office a one page proposal asking for $242,000 - proposing the bulk of those funds to go towards administration, operational funding and consultants. 

It seems unfair that the money intended to benefit all recreational fishers would go towards a group that represented only three per cent of the 700,000 recreational fishers in Queensland. I would rather see all recreational fishers benefit from every dollar of our investment.

There are numerous inaccuracies in some recent statements by some groups:
•   Marine habitat assessment has not been axed – Fisheries Queensland continues to manage programs for the protection of marine plants and freshwater habitat;
•   Fishway teams – Fisheries Queensland no longer builds and designs fishways but still provides advice and assesses proposals;
•   Recreational fishing unit – Fisheries Queensland’s organisational structure has changed, but its staff are still employed on recreational fishing programs; and
•   Assessment and monitoring, Rfish surveys, consultation on management, education and communications, and QBFP compliance are all key services for recreational fishing provided as part of the Fisheries Queensland budget. 

It’s also misleading in the extreme to suggest the government only cares about commercial fishing.  The current net buy-back scheme has been introduced to address both recreational and commercial fishers’ concerns about the number of licences in the market.  This government has listened to all sectors and claims to the contrary are nothing but mischievous.

It is my hope that recreational fishers will see through these blatantly false and misleading claims which are self-serving and intended to distract from the business of sustaining our fisheries for all Queenslanders.

At a time when so much effort is being put into reducing this State’s huge debt levels, and when so many organisations and individuals are playing their part in getting Queensland back on a sound economic path, it is disappointing to have to reject the false claims and self-centred actions of a few.

I know there is more that could be done to assist recreational fishers in Queensland.  But it has to be done responsibly, within the tight financial constraints we find ourselves in, and with everyone in mind, not just a select few.

The Newman Government, through Fisheries Queensland, will continue to work with recreational fishers to ensure they are part of the decision-making process on fisheries management. Fishers should not be put off by internal bickering among their representative groups.

I welcome the considered and balanced views of all recreational fishers at all times and I appreciate it when they are sent directly to the government.  I just want the views of fishers about government policies and activities to be based on the facts.

I call on those groups to cut out the colourful interpretations of facts and figures, cut out the self-awarded artistic licence and emotion, and let’s handle the truth a little more carefully.  That’s what will happen if we genuinely want the best for everyone involved.

John McVeigh MP (LNP)
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry

[Member]

Response from FFSAQ below


F F S A Q INC.
Freshwater Fishing and Stocking Association of Queensland Inc.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
25th October 2012

On the 18th October 2012, FFSAQ received a copy of an “Open Letter to Queensland Recreational
Fishers” from John McVeigh the Minister for Agricultural, Fisheries and Forestry. The Open
Letter attempted to quite feebly justify the recent reduction of service delivery to recreational
fishers, but more importantly was distributing recreational fishers with a deceitful overview of fact
and reality. It was nothing more than pure political spin.
Below is an FFSAQ response to the Minister’s Open Letter.

OPEN LETTER FROM FFSAQ TO THE FISHERIES MINISTER
Dear Minister,
After a close reading of your “Open Letter to Queensland Recreational Fishers” distributed last
week, it is quite apparent that you have little or no understanding of the functioning or management
of recreational fishing in Queensland. You attempt to cover up your inabilities by espousing
mistruths and non-factual information. It was also quite disturbing to hear from a Minister of the
Crown a public campaign of a very personal nature against key stakeholder community
organizations representing recreational fishers. You accuse recreational organizations of waging
an emotive, colorful and misleading campaign, but I suggest to you that yours is the misleading one.
Minister, you claim that $10 million from Fisheries Queensland’s budget is allocated to providing
services to recreational fishers. You also advise that around $4m is revenue from the
Recreational Use Fee (RUF) and around $1m from the Stocked Impoundment Permit Fee. You
do not appear or wish to understand or recognize that this $5m is funded by recreational fishers and
is not consolidated revenue. The RUF was structured for special purposes to enhance recreational
fishing, but has now been absconded and utilized for general and core business of Fisheries
administration. It is recognized that SIP funding is still being expended as per its original intent.
You go on to purport that the remaining $5m is also being spent on service provision to recreational
fishers, but I put it to you that most if not all, is for activities that have to be considered as core
business functioning of Fisheries administration. There is only $1m (SIP) that is being on
enhancing recreational fishing, and this is being funded directly by recreational fishers. So to sum
it all up, even though you claim that Fisheries is providing $10m in its budget on recreational
fishing, in reality Fisheries is providing next to nothing. Most is core business.
FFSAQ refutes your claim that the RUF funding has not been redirected. I put it to you that the
following activities that were previously funded by RUF and directed to recreational fishing, no
longer exist. Recreational Fishing Enhancement program, fish stocking support, fishcare
volunteer program, kids fishing days, angler education, fish tagging programs, fishway barrier
works team and FRDC grant. So how can you come out and say that funding has not been
redirected. It is just not true. I also note that you were very careful in your open letter not to
mention any of these services that now no longer exist. You state that Fisheries staff are still
being employed on recreational fishing programs, but you conveniently omit to mention that all
Fisheries Extension Officers across Queensland have been sacked.
The core business of Fisheries Queensland should be funded from consolidated revenue, not RUF.
The Queensland Government receives tens of millions of dollars per year from GST derived
directly from recreational fishing industry sales. Surely, this must be sufficient to fund core
business of Fisheries instead of grabbing RUF monies from a special purpose levy on boat owners.
Minister, I quote from your open letter, and provide comment in red characters:
Services provided by Fisheries Queensland to recreational fishers from this $10m budget include :
• compliance, surveillance and enforcement including boat ramp signage and community
service announcements ($3.2m); All core business of Fisheries and should be funded
from consolidated revenue.
• communication and education programs including free handbook for recreational
fishers ($500,000);
• fish stocking and recovery programs, pest fish education, and marine habitat protection
($2m); The only fish stocking funding is now from SIP, all others have ceased. Pest
fish, education and habitat protection are all core business of Fisheries.
• recreational fishing survey including Keen Angler and online diary program
($300,000); Was not this survey completed in 2011-2012 ??
• research, monitoring, and reporting activities ($2.5m); and All core business of
Fisheries and should be funded from consolidated revenue.
• scientific assessment and policy development ($2m). All core business of Fisheries and
should be funded from consolidated revenue.
Further Minister, the only way that the above allocations are to be meaningful, is to have a detailed
breakdown of each section. You are asked to provide such data.
You seem to be implying in your open letter that you do not wish to communicate through the
various community peak bodies representing recreational fishers, but rather to liaise directly with
individual fishers. Can you please explain exactly how you are going to do this.
During the March 2012 State election campaign, the LNP provided and I quote “ The LNP supports
the FFSAQ mission to develop recreational freshwater fishing opportunities, to promote and
enhance sustainable freshwater fisheries and to promote and safeguard the interests of recreational
freshwater anglers”. Minister, you are going about it in a peculiar way, if there is to be any
attempt to uphold this commitment. You can use as much political spin as you wish, but the
bottom line is that the recreational fishing section of Fisheries Queensland has been “gutted”.
Recreational fishers will see through the political and bureaucratic spin of your open letter and in
future will have much difficulty in believing, or have any faith, in any word of the LNP.

[Member]

Well that was an interesting read. Amazing how the pollies will twist the truth to exploit the public and  basically steal our hard earned money for their own purposes. I appreciate the info. 

[Member]

Maybe McVeigh should be playing cricket. Mors spin than Shayne Warne.
 
Cheers
Ray