Fishing... value for money

[Lucky_Phill]

Sorry but I couldn't think of a better heading to this topic. :-/

After perusing the news pages here it occurs to me that as a large industry, the recreational fishers of Queensland may not be getting a fair deal in relation to the amount of money spent on our investments.

It has been revealed that the Federal Govt is to supply grants for $15 mill over 3 years to certain groups and bodies in respect to fishing related activities. I think 15 mill is a pittance. >:(


This is not whinge, but really I have an idea where I would like some return and thought I could get ideas from members.

Obviously there are things like boat ramp improvements, fish cleaning stations ( don’t get me started >:( ), etc, but we should try to encompass the whole fishing fraternity. There are many millions of dollars raised by the Federal Government through the GST system from us, so I believe a good portion of that should be spent on us… ? dunno, what do you reckon ?

Things I would like to see are :-

GST free , safety items and equipment ( VHF radios, EPIRBS, Life Jackets, Fire extinguishers etc )

Maybe a tax deduction for the REQUIRED safety equipment.

VMR registration as a Tax rebate, deduction !

GST free GPS units,,,,,,,, this is along the lines of the GBRMPA boundries thing.

More funding for Impoundment Stocking and Research.

Obviously a commercial licence buy-back scheme

Serious research by Independent Scientists covering the Sustainability issues.

A Fish-Wise educational program for ALL ages.

Applying a Fish ID system that takes into account the common names, scientific names and marketing names. One name for each fish. If ya know what I mean.

Then there is the way out, “ yeh right “ idea that, “ spend $30 or more in a tackle shop and get 4 cents a litre off your boat fuel “……;D ;D ;D


I am sure there are many more good ideas floating around in the heads of members here, so let’s hear them. Not a debate on this, just post up your ideas, thoughts and opinions.



Cheers Phill

[bugman]

Phil,

What will happen if every other recreational lobby group are successful in getting the same concessions.

Who's going to pay for the hospital down the road - or the road that eads to the hospital or the local school.

Don't get me wrong - the government has never reaped so much revenue out of us taxpayers has they are right at this minute (actually there's been a tax break so lets say the most was pre July this year) - but consolidated revenue has to come from somewhere:-X

As much as we all hate them. Centralised government control makes the world go round for us.

Brett

[Nowhere Bob]

Pays my mortage;D

Silly ideas of no merit other than raise a smile.

1 Free annual fishing charter combined with Navy Ashmore Reef patrols.
(Show those indos how a civilised man catches fish)

2 All ex navy boats -> Arti reefs ala HMAS Brisbane

3 Ditto: All MP's convicted of rorting Travel allowances / ignoring real concerns of constituants, kissing babies in campaign mode, breaking campaign promises.

[FNQCairns]

Thre were study done years ago in more honest times which placed a direct value on the recreational take per KG, it was some astronomical amount.

I know that if I add up my last calander year of expendature as a rec fisherman only my cost per kg of fish consumed is around $4000 ATM.....think I will go lie down for a little while:(

cheers fnq

[alfish]

a bit off topic, but i wouldn't mind paying a fee for a permit/licence (adult s only) if i new all the revenue was to be put towards resources etc. for recreational fishing.

al

[theclick]

a bit off topic, but i wouldn't mind paying a fee for a permit/licence (adult s only) if i new all the revenue was to be put towards resources etc. for recreational fishing.

alA one off fishing license would be alright. I cant see any reasoning for having to update the thing annually.

[Luc]

Some good sugestions there but until the average fisho is prepared to jump up & down and carry on, ie get more vocal politically speaking, we'll continue to get the short end of the stick.

We need to convince the political parties that getting into bed with the fishing fraternity is better than the greens, etc...

Just imagine if the average fisho understood the need and therefore was happy to pay $10 or $20 to help fund their local (for example) SUNFISH branch!!!

Luc

[choppa]

Some good sugestions there but until the average fisho is prepared to jump up & down and carry on, ie get more vocal politically speaking, we'll continue to get the short end of the stick.


Just imagine if the average fisho understood the need and therefore was happy to pay $10 or $20 to help fund their local (for example) SUNFISH branch!!!

Luc

can't agree more luc,,,,,,,,,,, i've been an active member on here for awhile,,,, and if anyone cares to do a search,,, they will certainly see a pattern emerge on the ""political"" side of old choppa

tired,,,,,,,,,,is one way of expressing the lack of backup that ""most"" rec fisho's put up,,, we all raise our hands,,,we all yell,,, we all have a bone to pick with someone,,,, but alas,,, when punch needs the pull,,,, sorry can't help this weekend etc etc etc

phil has a point,,,,,,,, with the number of rec fisho's that spend $$ every day of the calander week,,,, we get bugger all back,,,, we get fed the info,,,, but nothing really comes from it,,, (that may be part of the problem)

i had another member here shoot me down in flames with a comment that the average number of 750,000 rec fisho's that were recognised 2 years back put nothing into the economy,,, and what they did put in wasn't really worth mentioning,,, i nearly fell over,,,,

what would i wish for,,,,,,,,,, simple,,,,,,, more openess,,,,, less bullshit

i can name a number of posts that cover this,,,,,,

i HAVE a library of reference data,,, current,,,,

i still get a league of info/invites from various sources on what they themselves are trying to achieve,,,,,,,,trying,,,,,,,,is the objective word

to place 15 mill into a 3 year equation,,,, is giving someone the excuse to prove that they're doing there job,,,,,,,,, has anyone got a current breakdown on what amount of funding has been spent/awarded,,,,,,,, on grants/projects/studies to 2007,,,,,,,,,,,

for those of you who don't,,,,,,,, its alarming

choppa

[oldboot]

Don't ever sugest that we pay a fishing licence........all the funds will end up being consumed as administrative expenses AND it would open up a whole can of worms about fines for not having a licence.....the government gathering information..................................

Considering the amount of tourist dollars generated and tax gathered from recreational fishing...... we should get more of a crack.

Our boat ramps cretainly could be better..... particularly some...... fish cleaning stations and waste disposal facilities would be good.

how about some dedicated fishing platforms and jetties at prime locations.
Just check out the strand at townsville...... great facilities for the LBA.... very well kept and very well patronised.


cheers

[RayDeR]

G'day!

Someone probably has a more accurate figure but I seem to remember reading the recent Brisbane Boat show had $35million in sales.

Now that's not too bad in GST. I figure its $3.5million. Every new boat and trailer had to be registered. That is the result of an event of less than one week's duration.

Makes you wonder what the "government take " must be in the whole year.

Sure the money is need for hospitals, schools, etc. But we spend the rest of our money supporting them.

Ray De R

[Luc]

THE main reason that our "opponents" have it all over us is MONEY.

Money allows organisation, lobbying, research, etc....

750,000 recfishos, most would winge about paying $10 or $20 each year to suport an organisation that would represent them, fight for their interest, fund research that support them, need I go on.

YET, they'll think nothing of spending hundreds of dollars on gear, bait, boats, etc...

But pay $10 or $20 for an organisation that would look after their interest HA !!

Imagine, 50,000 or 100,000 fishos contributing $10 per annum to an organisation that will look after their interest. If the only thing those fishos do is make that payment, it would allow to pay for expertice and people to work full time looking after their interest.

There are many trying to do the job on a volunteer basis and many are dedicated and hard working BUT ITS UNPAID WORK and that can't compete against "opponents" that are well funded and have people working for $$$$.

Many would love to do more but most have to earn a living.

Well, that's my soap box for the night :P

I can hear the bass calling;D so I'm going to the garage and get the fishing gear ready for tommorow.

Luc

[choppa]

just imagine the kickbacks luc,,,,,,,;D ;D

we are lucky in one respect though,,,,,,, we have the only judicial system,,,,, that i'm aware off that ""threatens"" the perputrators,,,,,,, and then slaps em on the wrist and says ""don't do it again""

if they pulled their weight a bit more,,,,,,,,,mmmmm,, maybe 10 or 20 per head might change a bit as well

good thread phil,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, i'm not expecting much tho'

choppa

[gawby]

Good yarn Phill, i am not knocking it.;)

Take a good look at Queensland,

All our emergency services are underfunded and in a state of real concern, for example the ambulance service, how long now have we been paying ambo fees through our elec bills, it's mind boggling how much money this thieving labour government has collected and the ambos are still under maned etc.:o

Mate, look at our roads and health system. It goes on and on:'(

I think what you suggest has good merit but how would this work when what i have mentioned doesn't work now. The only way you get GST free now is to pay cash and then they only drop the GST amount. Catch 22.>:(

Graeme;)

[Handyman]

You Queenslanders can think yourself lucky in one regard at least. All this "shock horror" talk of paying for fishing licences is simply a fact of life down here in New South.

Mine cost me $75 for 3 years, or you can pay $30 for 1 year, $12 for 1 month or - wait for it - $6 for the privelige of fishing in our beautiful waters for 3 whole days!!!:huh2:

That's right, if some poor bloke who doesn't normally do any fishing decides he wants to take the kids out for a day or two (or even an hour or two) on the weekend or his annual holidays, he first has to fork out the money and fill out the paperwork for a licence for himself and probably his missus. So what happens? he either takes the risk of getting a hefty fine and goes anyway (a pretty big risk in some places in school holidays) or more likely, he probably writes the whole thing off as too hard and there are a few more kids who never get the chance to try their hand at this great sport. >:( :'( Think about it - if your old man had never taken you fishing, how many of you may have never even tried it?

Of course, you get a handfull of pamphlets with each renewal telling you how they spend all the money on improving recreational fishing and no doubt some of it does go to this cause (after admin expenses of course) but I have lived and fished in both states and don't notice any great difference in the facilities whether you are fishing in Qld or NSW.

Fight the introduction of licences at all costs. As Phil points out, if anything they should be handing out a bit more, not demanding more off us.

In NSW it started many years ago as a licence just for inland fisherman and was only a few dollars per year - not too bad. But look what we've ended up with.

[blaze]

Makes me glad to live in tassie
we have a freshwater licence($61), money stay within to keep our pristine trout waters fishing well
No salt water licence and have a substainable fishery that is improving year by year by things like no netting in eustaries and improving the water quality that comes off the land.
Our boat rego is spent (not all of it) on ramp improvements and things that are recomended by the boaties themselves and is documented in a bi annual news letter sent to all registed boat owners.
Seems to me we have a well balanced fishery for fresh and salt as well as reasonable boating facilities.
I got no bitch, mmmmmmmmm, maybe the weather could be a bit kinder but we are a tough bunch
cheers
blaze

[Lucky_Phill]

That's what I would like to happen here Blaze. Accountability of the funds raised.

I do not want ALL monies poured back into the system, but certainly an amount to help it run smoother.

One issue I have on my mind is the Safety one. I do believe it is up to all of us to be safe on the water and we should all never venture offshore without EPIRB, Life jackets and Flares, and of course logging into a VMR or Coast Guard .

Thing is the Government ( State ) tell us it is a REQUIRED safety issue that we purchase an EPIRB, and that EPIRB is now going to be obsolete in 2009. Fine, the newer system will save the authorities many thousands if not millions of dollars in False Activation Searches. Good, but we still are paying GST on an item that is REQUIRED. Hard to explain this, but the Govt says you MUST have this, and we will collect GST on this item. Although I have purchased a new 406mhz unit for the very reason of safety and in particular the new system, I still find it an issue. The price of these is not prohibitive but none-the-less double of the older ones. OK, we are only talking about $40 in GST, that is not the issue.

I do understand that we are the highest taxed country and that those funds are used to provide infrastructure for this nation. I understand the system, what I don’t understand is the way the fees, funds and taxes are divided up. From the outside it seems we are overtaxed on the things we enjoy ( our leisure time and activities ) and under provided for, for that time.

As for other recreational groups and organizations etc, there are not that many about that have such government controls over them that they are REQUIRED to spend money so that the Govt can reap GST. Then again, maybe I am missing something !! might need a beer ?

With the multi billion dollar surplus being waved at the electorate, maybe it is time to re-organise the funds to appease the hordes. ????

ccciiisssst! yep, that was the opening of a beer, must go !

Phill

[choppa]

phil i understand what your saying,,,, but unfortunately the gst issue is here to stay,,,,, whether its an accessory for the boat/car/house or whatever,,, i don't think they're going to make certain items gst free whilst others remain,,,

its a bit like the issue with a hot chook opposed to a cold chook,,,,

as far as stating that we are overtaxed in area's of enjoyment,,,,, take stamp duty,,,THEN add gst on top

buy a car,,,, stamps on the retail price,,,stamps on rego,,,stamps on accessories,,,,stamps on finance and it continues,,, then on top,,,gst on the purchase price,,,gst on accessories,,,servicing,,,parts etc etc

yes it would be nice to sit back and take in what blaze has added as a better way of fairness,,,, but do you really think the govt will change now??????????

do you think that the pressure from groups already in place are not raising these issues already???? or perhaps not emphasising the points clearly,,,

for the amount of dollars that goes into """research""" within the fishing industry already,,,, and for the amount that has already been spent,,, may mean a complete clean out of the ""powers to be"" is in order and start afresh

choppa

[NAGG]

a bit off topic, but i wouldn't mind paying a fee for a permit/licence (adult s only) if i new all the revenue was to be put towards resources etc. for recreational fishing.

al
That is just what NSW has ... $30 / year (This is for all forms of fishing & encompasses bait gathering as well) ....... I had no problem with the concept ... as all funds where to go back into fishing (including the buyout of pro licences) ...... Some good initiatives have come out of it (buyouts , artificial reefs , some education , more compliance officers & fresh / Salt water stocking) ...... However I'm not sure if the funds are used completely in a beneficial way ...... I'm 50% happy with it ...... Nagg

[choppa]

Sorry but I couldn't think of a better heading to this topic. :-/

After perusing the news pages here it occurs to me that as a large industry, the recreational fishers of Queensland may not be getting a fair deal in relation to the amount of money spent on our investments.

It has been revealed that the Federal Govt is to supply grants for $15 mill over 3 years to certain groups and bodies in respect to fishing related activities. I think 15 mill is a pittance. >:(


This is not whinge, but really I have an idea where I would like some return and thought I could get ideas from members.

Obviously there are things like boat ramp improvements, fish cleaning stations ( don’t get me started >:( ), etc, but we should try to encompass the whole fishing fraternity. There are many millions of dollars raised by the Federal Government through the GST system from us, so I believe a good portion of that should be spent on us… ? dunno, what do you reckon ?

Things I would like to see are :-

GST free , safety items and equipment ( VHF radios, EPIRBS, Life Jackets, Fire extinguishers etc )

Maybe a tax deduction for the REQUIRED safety equipment.

VMR registration as a Tax rebate, deduction !

GST free GPS units,,,,,,,, this is along the lines of the GBRMPA boundries thing.

More funding for Impoundment Stocking and Research.

Obviously a commercial licence buy-back scheme

Serious research by Independent Scientists covering the Sustainability issues.

A Fish-Wise educational program for ALL ages.

Applying a Fish ID system that takes into account the common names, scientific names and marketing names. One name for each fish. If ya know what I mean.

Then there is the way out, “ yeh right “ idea that, “ spend $30 or more in a tackle shop and get 4 cents a litre off your boat fuel “……;D ;D ;D


I am sure there are many more good ideas floating around in the heads of members here, so let’s hear them. Not a debate on this, just post up your ideas, thoughts and opinions.



Cheers Phill

without taking the main reason away from this post,,, on ""ideas"" on where $$$ could possibly be spent on the ""qld rec fisho"" to enhance our sport/industry

its amusing to me that the 15 million that has been ""earmarked"" is to whose advantage??????,,, no truly,,, who will be the winner in the end

we can all raise our hands and say its better here,,, or over there,,, but its what we are accustomed too that makes the difference,,,,

blaze fishes in an enviroment that is totally different to qld rules and regulations,,, as i dare suggest so do other states

we all name our catch by different identities,,, but there still the same species,,,and again subject to different rules and regulations

i can honestly say i for one did not know that the humble whiting was subject to so many different species until making qld home,,,,

to throw ideas into the pot on what would be more advantage over what is now in place is too late,,,, the government can spend twice the amount and get twice the amount of different opinions,,,,,,,,, we are after all individuals with our own interests at heart

i can still see (i think) the meaning behind the original query,,, but in the back of my mind i have the voice saying that when i fished as a kid it was different,,, but i (as we all) grew and adapted to what we now live,,,, and percervere with

as a foot note,,, to make ""safety gear"" such as epirbs/flares/radio gear etc GST FREE is like opening a can of worms to EVERY manufacturer who would rename current items as a ""safety"" enhancement

smoke detectors/fire extinguishers/hard hats/safety boots,,,,,,,etc etc etc

choppa