Des Houghton Article

[Chris Ryan]

Sorry I have not been on here of late. I have had some things going on needing some time away from the computer.

Seems we are not quite forgotten yet and get a mention in Des Houghton's article in the Courier Mail. The line "Now labor is brawling with fisherman and the unions" to me signals that our show of discontent has made some in roads.

Keep up the effort guys and gals.

Here is the link to the article.

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23931778-5012449,00.html

Cheers,
Chris

[Lucky_Phill]

Quoting from the article.:-


" Labor clearly has a perception problem.

There is a lingering stench over the rape and subsequent miscarriage of justice involving a 10-year-old girl at the Cape York community of Aurukun in 2005. The government - and the judiciary - were seen to be uncaring.

Health Minister Stephen Robertson was forced to admit he knew about the alleged rape of a nurse in the Torres Strait but took no action until the details of the attack were printed in the papers a month later.

The Health Department knew the quarters on Mabuiag Island where the nurse lived were unsafe but did nothing.

Now Labor is brawling with fishermen and the unions.

There is huge wealth pouring into the state but battlers aren't seeing it.

There are pockets of resentment over undemocratic council amalgamations with accusations of Labor plundering water assets of metro councils.

The Environment Protection Agency has shown to be hopelessly inadequate on several issues including the dying reef and the poisoning of children at Mount Isa. Labor appears to be lurching from one crisis to another. "


mmmm can you feel the wave of discontent, Anna ?

[Moonlighter]

Yep, I noticed that too.

Didn't it also refer to another article that pointed out that Cap'n Bligh's Govt's slide in recent polls and the formation of a new opposition could see a number of prominent bayside Labor MLA's out of a job??? EPA's outrageous proposed green zones wont help THEM either if they go ahead without change, I wouldn't have thought.

Also did you notice the article in BushnBeach fishing re the environmental award won by the MBSIA - it acts as another reminder to the Govt about how the EPA ignores and in fact penalises people who make real improvements to how they interact with the environment to improve sustainability.

It also promoted the fact that we all, pros, rec and bait and tackle and the marine industry worked together to develop a better solution than the EPA's and if they had any sense they'd just pick up our proposal 100% and adopt it.

But do they have any sense????

Grant

[GES]

Yep, I noticed that too.

Didn't it also refer to another article that pointed out that Cap'n Bligh's Govt's slide in recent polls and the formation of a new opposition could see a number of prominent bayside Labor MLA's out of a job??? EPA's outrageous proposed green zones wont help THEM either if they go ahead without change, I wouldn't have thought.

Also did you notice the article in BushnBeach fishing re the environmental award won by the MBSIA - it acts as another reminder to the Govt about how the EPA ignores and in fact penalises people who make real improvements to how they interact with the environment to improve sustainability.

It also promoted the fact that we all, pros, rec and bait and tackle and the marine industry worked together to develop a better solution than the EPA's and if they had any sense they'd just pick up our proposal 100% and adopt it.

But do they have any sense????

Grant


Grant.

I think they all have bigger egos than sense, frankly.

The Managers of EPA would have to admit some incompetance if they adopted, completely, the MBAA solution to the MBMP zoning plan.

It will take a real political scare for the Minister to intervene and instruct EPA Managers to pull their heads in to see and act with a bit of sense.

Maybe the Bayside MLAs who stand to lose their jobs at the upcoming election will have the fortitude and good sense to insist that the Minister instructs the EPA Managers to adopt the better option.

Apart from the political fallout to the Government MLAs involved, the cost to Government of compensation packages (if EPAs debacle of a plan is upheld and implemented), would be that much more.

I suppose it's a matter of how much political damage and financial cost are their egos and ideology worth to the decision makers.

GES

[fishingjew]

mmmm can you feel the wave of discontent, Anna ?[/quote]




Anglers ask for a break

July 03, 2008

TOURISM in Central Queensland is taking a huge hit, with interest rates, skyrocketing fuel prices and the general downturn in the economy all taking their toll. Now lobby groups are urging the State Government to get proactive to save livelihoods.

Former vice-president of the Australian Sportfishing Association Tom Green has written to Premier Anna Bligh urging her to give the Queensland coastal communities a helping hand by cancelling fish closures across the Christmas holiday period.

Mr Green said he was not totally against fish closures, as some areas of the Great Barrier Reef were overfished and he was disgusted that poachers were still in existence, ruining it for the majority of responsible fishers.

However he said the last of three nine-day reef closures this year fell on the busiest holiday period, December 21 to December 29 inclusive, and could mean the death knell for a number of businesses directly and indirectly linked to reef fishing, particularly on the Discovery Coast.
In his letter to the premier, dated June 24, Mr Green said: "This year the veracious rise in fuel costs already strongly mitigate against families travelling long distances towards holiday destinations, particularly if this means utilising the family vehicle. To the boating/fishing fraternity, these costs have a double-barrelled effect.

"Here in Agnes Water/Town of 1770 nearly every retail business, together with the accommodation and tourism sectors, rely heavily on the Christmas holiday traffic which swells the resident population by around 400 per cent. Many of these visitors come here to enjoy the great fishing that is available particularly the offshore reef fishing.

".. I ask you to consider my request to cancel the closure gazetted for December 2008 period alone."
Mr Green said while he did not have any scientific training he could see there were benefits of some fish closures, but even the scientists were uncertain of the true value of the number and the timing.

"Extracts from the Management and Science of Fish Spawning Aggregations in the Great Barrier ReefMarinePark gives weight to my proposal and might actually be supported by the Scientific and Fisheries Management Authorities," he said.
Tony Lunn of Agnes Water 1770 Bait and Tackle said the fishing closures were the last hit in a chain of events that were seriously affecting his business.

"This could be the final nail in the coffin, not just for my business, but for the whole town," Mr Lunn said.
"We've had bad weather, people not coming fishing because of huge fuel costs, and usually we can make it up a bit over Christmas, but this (the closures) will have a drastic effect.
"It's the same up and down the coast. I hear it from the guys who deliver the bait shops in towns from the Tweed to Far North Queensland are in trouble."

Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries Tim Mulherin said in a statement on the moratorium on fishing in Queensland earlier this year: "Being the largest fishery in the State means the East Coast Inshore Fin Fish Fishery is one of our most valuable assets with more than 750,000 recreational fishers and approximately 500 commercial operators accessing this resource.

"Changes to size and bag limits for some species, new management arrangements... new closures... are all being proposed to ensure this fishery remains sustainable and profitable."

Not just the fisherman

[Chris Ryan]

Hi grant,

Yes mate I saw that and please pass my congrats on to the whole committee for the award. It is fantastic that in the face of adversity your guys keep on keeping on and put strong claims like that award forward.

Seems the downside is the harder we all work at this, the bigger the blinkers go on and tighter the green hand that is rocking the cradle holds on.

Chris