WeFish

Environment Minister Tony Burke's upcoming announcement of a national network of Commonwealth marine parks has been described by environmentalists as a chance for the government to leave a legacy as significant as the protection of the Great Barrier Reef or Kakadu.

The documents show a huge protected area in the Coral Sea off Queensland, stretching all the way along the state's coastline and a long way out to sea.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-06-11/government-planning-huge-marine-park-expansion/4063294

Yet this very government has not only allowed opening up Commonwealth waters to oil and gas exploration, but allowed a MASSIVE foreign super trawler  the second largest commercial fishing vessel in the world, will be allowed by the federal government to fish in Australian waters for the favourite food of bluefin tuna and albatross and a myriad of other marine life.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/lifestyle/federal-government-allows-massive-super-trawler-to-fish-in-australian-waters/story-e6frf00i-1226387965265

This clearly shows that the government is just pandering to the Greens and the environmental NGOs in there anti fishing policy.

"However Australian unions are supporting the trawler because the majority of crew will be from Tasmania and the Federal Government says vigorous checks will be applied to its catch rates." 

The House of Reps has just passed a swag of shipping reform acts. If this mega-trawler is registered on the Australian second register, provided they employ 2 senior Australian officers, the rest of the crew can be from a other nations and be paid at comparable world rates, the latest published ITF figures are about US$ 400 a month, US$3.75 an hour for overtime and 2 days leave for each month served. So there will be virtually NO Australian employment on this ship. as the ship is a floating fish processing factory, there will be nothing processed on our shores either.

http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/maritime/shipping_reform/files/Shipping_Registration_Amendment_AISR