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recfish
25-09-2004, 09:53 AM
For information only.

RECFISH AUSTRALIA

NEWS RELEASE Page 1 of 2

Friday 24 September 2004 For immediate publication


MAJOR PARTIES COMMIT FUNDING
SUPPORT TO RECFISH AUSTRALIA

The Coalition Parties and the Labor Party have recognised the importance of Recfish Australia, the peak national recreational fishing body, with election policy funding commitments for the next four years.

Recfish Australia is the peak national representative body for Australia’s 3.4 million recreational fishers who spend $1.9 billion annually on their pastime. Recreational fishing is Australia’s largest single outdoor participation activity.

The Coalition and Labor have each committed $400,000 to Recfish, $100,000 a year for four years starting this financial year.

The Coalition promise means that if it is re-elected, it will restore the funding to Recfish Australia which it cut in 1996 on coming to government, ending 13 years of Commonwealth support for the peak national body. In announcing the commitment to resume funding, the Prime Minister said Recfish Australia undertook valuable work for Australia’s most popular form of recreation.

Announcing its commitment, the Labor Party said it “recognises that the Commonwealth Government does have a responsibility for recreational and sport fishing”. Labor would provide funding to Recfish Australia “so that it can help the government promote educational programs such as water safety and sustainable fishing practices, and to encourage community participation in fishing by promoting the benefits that come from engaging in an outdoor recreational and sporting activity”.

Recfish Australia’s National Executive Director, Graham Pike, said today that the timing of the commitment to Commonwealth Government funding could not have been better. His organisation was two-thirds of the way into a study by a group of consultants designed to come up with a national system of secure, continuing and adequate funding for Recfish Australia to enable it to increase advocacy services to Australia’s recreational fishers.

“The consultants are just about to put a business case to State and Territory Governments to contribute financially to recreational and sport fishing through Recfish Australia and the certainty now of Commonwealth Government input will strengthen that case”, Mr Pike said.

Recommendations for a final form of a system of secure and continuing funding for Recfish Australia will be made at a two-day Workshop of all major stakeholders, including Commonwealth and State agencies, immediately before Recfish’s 21st annual general meeting and anniversary celebrations at the end of October.




Contact: Graham Pike, 0412 960 032

Note to Editors: Recfish Australia will issue a news release on the overall recreational fishing policies of the major parties once the Labor Party announces its policy, expected within the next week. The Coalition has already announced its recreatio

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26-09-2004, 02:46 AM
First, congratulations to those who did the lobbying to get these election promises from both sides. They had better follow through ...


It’s a scandal that RecFish - the peak body for Recreational fishing has had no funding, no office and run by generous people out of their lounge. (RecFish is like Sunfish at Canberra level, and I believe Dave Bateman CEO Sunfish is President RecFish).

It was the Howard Government in 1996 that cut off their funding without notice, which left RecFish without an effective voice in Canberra when all the Reef Closure deals were done. RecFish has fallen behind with no funding for 8 years so resuscitation it now is not enough they need extra funding to make for time lost.

The funding promises amount to 3 cents per angler - not much at all.

And no I am not saying Vote Labor either - they have done deals with the Greens - guess what that will mean for family fishing?

This funding is another case of the Fishing Party having an effect already. I mean RecFish and Sunfish deserve the credit, but just the very existence of TFP has got Canberra starting to recognise us.

Imagine how much difference getting just one Fishing Senator elected would mean for the next 6 years!