COALITION TO MOVE AMENDMENTS TO OVERTURN FISHING CONVICTIONS

August 29th, 2008
Queensland Senator Ron Boswell today signalled that the Federal Coalition would move amendments that would overturn criminal convictions on fishermen caught fishing in ‘green zones’ prior to December 14, 2006.
Senator Boswell said that representations made to the Coalition joint party room by himself, together with Senator Barnaby Joyce and Senator Ian MacDonald, will mean that the Coalition will move amendments that quash the criminal records of 324 fishermen convicted of the offence.
Senator Boswell said that he and Senator MacDonald would be sponsoring these amendments to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2008 that would see the removal of these convictions.”
“In 2006 our Government acted to implement a fairer infringement notice system where those caught in green zones were still to be issued a fine, but would not necessarily receive the ongoing burden of a criminal record against their name.”
“However, this left the 324 fishers in a kind of ‘limbo’ where they had already been charged under the old system, and consequently had a criminal record documented.”
“Before the election I received advice from Prime Minister Howard’s office that they had identified a possible legislative solution to the problem. I had brought the convicted fishers to the brink of a pardon, but unfortunately the election got in the way of justice officials taking action.”
“Prior to the Federal election Labor’s spokesman Senator Kerry O’Brien was reported in the Townsville Bulletin as saying Labor would take a ‘bipartisan’ (19/10/07) approach to the issue.”
“The evidence used against these people was fundamentally flawed. It was found to be flawed by Magistrate Thomas Black who ruled that GPS alone was not accurate enough to convict someone of fishing in a green zone and that proper maritime charts, not GBRMPA maps, were needed to accurately establish a position.”
“These amendments will be the first opportunity for the Coalition since the election to overturn these unfair convictions, but also an opportunity for Labor to prove that their pre-election promises were not just phoney rhetoric.”
“I call on the Rudd Labor Government to support the Coalition’s amendments and make good on the pre-election promise that will clean the record of these unfairly burdened fishermen.”
ENDS