major win #- look out for the announcement

[gif]

Most of you will have heard how they are doing it tough in North Qld since they closed of 33% (really 80%) of the Reef. TFPQ #started after the closures were a done deal #but still did some good work.

Mostly they lobbied for a restructuring package for all the businesses effected. #And a lot of boat builders and chartered operators and tackle shops etc have done it tough. #Some going bankrupt. #

Recreational fishing is down 32% #in places #and the Cairns boat show was cancelled.

The GBRMPA got approval for the closures and in that they estimated compensation was going to be $20m. # #The estimates I now hear are maybe $200 to $400m. # It was important to get this compensation as high as possible. # First to be fair to the businesses. # Buy also so government realizes how much these closures really cost!

( Actually it was restructuring assistance not commensation - full compensation would havebeen 10 times that amount)

A nasty twist was the grant money was to be paid #- and then taxed !

Anyway #- its all reaching close after years of hard work by some people in the North and especially the executive of the Fishing Party. Especially Wayne Bayne (I occasioanlly helped them but claim no glory for this one)

Today there will be #a major positive announcement. # Watch for it


Some have said the Fishing Party doesn’t seem to do much. # I wish you could see all the hundreds of hours of work that these guys must have done behind the scenes.

Please take my word for it #- this is a fantastic win # - # huge.

Gary

PS - and if you live in Cairns think of giving some of your business to Wayne Bayne - Mitchells Marine - His business and personal pocket must have suffered heaps while he spent so much time and effort making this happen - for all of us Australia wide.

[fish2eat]

Well done Gary and TFP........maybe the bill should be sent to Bob Brown and Co who have no idea how many people they put out of work every time they go overboard on locking up our resources, when all it takes is for sensible management plans and sufficient enforcement (which also provides jobs)

Stu

[gif]

Victory for RAP affected fishing businesses

Leader of The Nationals in the Senate, Ron Boswell, and Liberal MP for Leichhardt, Warren Entsch, announced today that they had successfully brokered a deal to ensure fishing-related businesses affected by rezoning under the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s Representative Areas Programme would not face an undue financial burden arising from Full Business Restructuring Assistance (FBRA) grants provided by the Australian Government.

Under the improved package, in recognition of the difficulties faced by the industry there will be a 20% premium to be paid on top of all claims to accommodate for any unforeseen additional expenditure. The 20% premium is retrospective and would apply to all FBRA grants for fishermen and onshore businesses, including those which have already been accepted and paid by the Government to date.

“This has been an issue of great concern to commercial fishing businesses and to land based businesses adversely affected by the RAP rezoning and has been a primary focus of both Senator Boswell and I since the problem was first raised with us around 12 months ago,” Mr Entsch said.

Mr Entsch and Senator Boswell said they had received numerous representations regarding the RAP FBRA grants after confusion set in following conflicting information being issued from state and federal agencies administering the RAP Restructure package.

The issue was brought to a head at a meeting of around 100 fishing-related businesspeople held at the Cairns Marine Radio Club on the 23rd of February. As a result of the meeting, Senator Boswell and Mr Entsch were able to take individual cases and information from the administering agencies to the Prime Minister to request assistance with issues relating to the package.

As part of the package improvements, financial and relationship counsellors will continue to be provided to the region for a further 12 months and additional funds will be provided to enable DEH and the Queensland Rural Adjustment Authority (QRAA) to speed up the processing of applications following the late rush of applications received just before the closing date on 30 April.

The Australian Government has approved more than $64 million in grants to date to more than 600 fishermen and fishing related businesses to help them adjust to the rezoning

Senator Boswell and Mr Entsch, in announcing the improvements to the package for fishing businesses said that they wished to specifically acknowledge the efforts of Environment Minister, Ian Campbell, Mr Wayne Bayne, representing FNQ Land Based Marine Industries RAP Affected Business Group, and Mr Neil Green, President of the Queensland Seafood Industry Association for their leadership and commitment to finding a solution to this important issue for north Queensland’s commercial fishing and fishing related businesses.

ENDS

Media Inquiries:
Sean Welsh (Mr Entsch’s office) 0427 737 203
Leah Nicoll (Senator Boswell’s office) 0407 132 284

[wayne_cook]

interesting to see what the nsw gov. has got to say.They claim mps will have little effect on business,

[PinHead]

Gary...does this win give compensation to the businesses affected only? No relaxation of closures, accessability to areas etc for rec fishos ??

[agnes_jack]

Excellent news Gary!!
Hopefully this sets a solid precedent for the effects of other closures that are sureto come.
Congats to the Fishing Party, and all those others who put in so much of thier time on this.

Regards, Tony

[gif]

Pinhead

This is just one (important) step in a long battle.

There is s review of GBRMPA management that was due out a month ago. No one has seen it yet. That review may (just may) help with rezoning discussions.

When this whole story is told - from the first start of zoning to any adjustment of zones it will be a 10 year story. We have to work that long and hard.

Then again it has taken the Greens 20 or 30 years to do the damage they have done to Rec Fishing. We (you*) were asleep at the wheel.

Gary


* I only started fishing 3 years ago

[kc]

Sorry to have been out of the loop for 4 weeks but this result is something we have been working on since before the last election. If we acheive nothing else than this whole thing has been worthwhile.

The timelines.

Before the election and in exchange for preferences, Government announced it would extend the structural adjustment package to include recreational fishing industry effected businesses (the original package was just for commercial fishers)

Senator Boswell has tirelessly pursued this on our behalf in the face of a bureocratic blockade determined not to pay up.

Every impendiment has finally been overcome, and as a direct result of political will, the payment package has now been signed off and the true cost will now start to become apparent as claims are paid.

TFPQ can in no way claim this as a sole victory. It has been the work of the effected land based businesses group (chaired by Wayne Bayne TFPQ secretary) & BIA at both state and federal levels.

What I can say is that up until there was a political connection between the recreational fishing community and Government NOTHING was happening and these businesses would have been left to wither on the vine.

For those who doubted our wisdom in the preference arrangements we made, we guessed right, and now have a significant positive result. More results are to come and we now await the publication of the GBRMPA Act review.

As to the zoning itself we never asked for changes (this time around), just a review of GBRMPA and ultimately want the lies exposed. What I can say is that to date Senator Boswell has delivered on his committments and recreational fishing has an effective conjuit to Government at a federal level like never before.

KC

[Gazza]

Hi Kev / Gaz ......recent W.A. March 2006

this 'paper' is relevant to the topic http://www.fishallocation.com/papers...lor-Moore.html

make sure you click-on this one for a full list
http://www.fishallocation.com/papers/index.html


...Highest regards to you both
Gazza