And we all thought that it would all work out!

The Pro's are now hitting the airways in a big way. Today they were able to have air time one of the most opinionated, self-centred, one-dimensional, ....... well you figure it out for yourself's after reading this great piece of propaganda.......

My Opinion…. The battle has just begun

Transcript Of Interviews With Graeme Hillyard, Profish; John Thompson, Commercial Fisherman; Donald Cameron, Commercial Fisherman. On Sydney Radio Station 2ue With Alan Jones At 7.24am On The 10th September, 2001.

The NSW Government's Buy-Out Scheme For Commercial Fishermen In Botany Bay And Lake Macquarie.

PRESENTER: ALAN JONES: Well, there's one issue here that's not received the attention it deserves and I have to tell you I'm drowning in correspondence. It's the commercial fishing industry. Now, you most probably aren't aware that hundreds of fishermen are going to have their livelihoods wiped out by Bob Carr's government in the next twelve months.
Commercial fishermen are going to be banned from Botany Bay and Lake Macquarie starting early next year. It's just the beginning. Other areas like the Hawkesbury River are earmarked for closure as well, but there's been no consultation. I've received hundreds of letters on this issue from people in the commercial fishing industry. Amongst the Carr government people I happen to think that Eddie Obeid is a very decent bloke, but even with Eddie Obeid, my correspondents tell me, he's not interested in discussing the issue.
Now, I know the Minister has met with some but that was only to tell his side of the story. They tell me they were then asked to leave before they had a chance to put their case across. Mr Carr still doesn't seem to understand that his government is in free fall. These things are not going to get better until such time as he starts listening to people instead of lecturing them.
Now, the Carr government's going to spend tens of millions of dollars of your money on a compensation package for commercial fishermen. For some of them the money won't be enough. Many of them have been fishermen all their lives, they've got no other skills and I'm going to talk to some in a minute.
But the compensation money will come from the revenue they're raising - the government is - for the licences for recreational fishers. And because recreational fishers have to pay a licence from this government they want something in return and what they want is to catch more fish. So, the government's kicking commercial fishermen out of Lake Macquarie and Botany Bay to cater for the weekend warriors. The government says removing commercial fishermen would increase the catch for recreational fishers. It looks as though we all have to get a fishing line and a licence, because if we have fewer commercial fishermen we could see the price of seafood going up.
Who has dreamt this stuff up? Graeme Hillyard is the secretary of the Professional Fishers Association. Graeme, good morning.

GRAEME HILLYARD - PROFISH NSW:Good morning Alan.

ALAN JONES: Where did all this come from?

HILLYARD: This came from Eddie Obeid's supposed secret survey that he did on the people of New South Wales who told him they wanted to pay a tax on their fishing hobby. Absolute rubbish as far was we're concerned.

JONES: Well, there were sixty commercial fishermen in Botany Bay, thirty-six in Lake Macquarie. They employ seven thousand people directly or indirectly, what's going to happen to them?

HILLYARD: They're going to be kicked out and they're supposedly being paid a compensation package of ten million dollars. But ten million dollars is going to be paid for by the recreational fishing fee. The trouble with this whole process, Alan, is there's no money in the kitty to pay for this. The Minister's proposing to take ten per cent of the revenue raised by the licence, which is approximately four million dollars, for administration. One point five million for his department's existing programs and a hundred thousand dollars for new inspectors of which he proposes to put on about five.

JONES: Amazing, isn't it? And the government says this is necessary to protect fish stocks for future generations, is that true?

HILLYARD: That's absolute rubbish. No … there is absolutely no data to support the Minister's statement that this is going to protect fish stocks. We …

JONES: But how would they know, they haven't even carried out an environmental impact statement, have they?

HILLYARD: Absolutely no, and that's why we have the Minister in the Land and Environment Court requiring him to do so. This is the second time this Minister has been taken to the Land and Environment Court to administer his portfolio in an environmentally sustainable matter.

JONES: But if you knock off commercial fishermen what's this going to do to the seafood prices?

HILLYARD: The prices of seafood will go through the roof. Seventy-six per cent of some of our species come from estuaries and particularly Lake Macquarie and Botany Bay. They will be missing altogether. More importantly Alan, you said about the Labor government, if you look at the boat ramps in New South Wales and have a look at the cars that are parked there, you don't seen BMWs or SAABs. You see the average working class Holden and Falcon parked there with a boat trailer on it.

JONES: Trying to make a quid.

HILLYARD: They're just average recreational fishermen.

JONES: Wouldn't professional fishermen be more conscious of the environment than recreational fishers?

HILLYARD: Of course we have been. We've been fishing for two hundred years in this state and there's not one estuary or lake that's been closed or wiped out because of commercial fishing.

JONES: And is there any evidence that recreational fishers take as much from Botany Bay as the commercial fishermen?

HILLYARD: There's evidence that … in a report that the department is refusing to release at the moment, that shows that the recreational catch in some species is way in excess of the commercial catch. But there's enough there for us all to share if we do it properly. This is not sharing the resource, this is using a natural resource purely and simply as a political tool.

JONES: How many people would accept the voluntary buy-out scheme in Botany Bay and Lake Macquarie?

HILLYARD: There'll be a handful of people that may accept the voluntary buy-out. Most of the fishermen, the fair dinkum fishermen, believe it's grossly inadequate and under values their business and they just can't exist on what the Minister's proposing to pay.

JONES: Can you just hang on there because John Thompson's (ph.sp.) on the line. He's been involved with commercial fishing on Botany Bay for twenty years. John, good morning.

JOHN THOMPSON - COMMERCIAL FISHERMAN: Yeah.

JONES: You were fourteen when you started fishing in Botany Bay?

THOMPSON: Yeah.

JONES:And you left school in year eight to help your brother?

THOMPSON: Yeah.

JONES: What other skills do you have?

THOMPSON: I don't know anything else.

JONES: And you're not interested in a voluntary buy-out?

THOMPSON: Not really.

JONES: What would you do if your career's wiped out by the Carr government?

THOMPSON: I've got no idea.

JONES: And what's your family saying about all of this?

THOMPSON:Oh, well, they're pretty upset about it all.

JONES:I bet they are. I've been inundated by correspondence. Are commercial fishermen wiping out fish stocks in Botany Bay?

THOMPSON: No. In the last ten years our catches have always remained about the same.

JONES: Well, I think the government's saying that you're environmental vandals.

THOMPSON: Well, I can't see how.

JONES: So, your business is just going to go under because the Carr government says that's it?

THOMPSON: Yeah, that's about it. Yeah.

JONES: Can you hang on because Donald Cameron (ph.sp.) is a commercial fisherman at Lake Macquarie. Donald, good morning.

DONALD CAMERON - COMMERCIAL FISHERMAN: Hello, Alan.

JONES: How long have you been fishing on Lake Macquarie?

CAMERON: For the past forty-two years.

JONES: And you're fifty-nine years of age. What will you do, when the government says you can no longer fish?

CAMERON: Well, like the previous ...

JONES: John.

CAMERON:… caller on the line, I don't know. I just don't know.

JONES: Have you noticed a decline in fish stocks in Lake Macquarie?

CAMERON: Well, like the previous caller, our catches have remained stable.

JONES: So, why is the government banning you from working there?

CAMERON: Well, we see it as a political move because it will benefit the recreational fishery. Plenty of votes.

JONES: Plenty of votes. And there's no votes from you?

CAMERON: That's right, mate.

JONES: And what impact does this have on you, and your family and many people like you?

CAMERON: Well, we're devastated.

JONES: Anyone spoken to you?

CAMERON: Well, we've had talks, but ... you know, how can you compensate for a lifestyle? It's just like farming, you know? We'll be thrown away like a piece of old rope.

JONES: Let's go back to Graeme Hillyard. Graeme Hillyard, what ... I don't understand. I mean, has anyone spoken to these fishermen?

HILLYARD: There's been what they call consultation and the process we got to in this stage is consultation with the public where we saw point one of one per cent, point one responded and requested some closures throughout the entire state. There was two thousand people out of the two million recreational fishers responded to the Minister's request, and out of that, point zero one per cent, a couple of hundred recreational fishers, wanted Lake Macquarie and Botany Bay closed. And based on those slim, whimsical figures we're seeing people thrown out of unemployment, families being put onto the scrap heap, fishermen facing bankruptcy because of point zero one per cent of people wanting it.
You know, in the Auburn by-election, if you got point zero point per cent, according to Bob Carr, you were elected.

JONES: Yeah. Okay. Leave it there. We'll keep in touch with you. Thank you, and thank you for your time. John Thompson, thank you, and Donald Cameron - two fishermen. I mean, there are people at home listening to the program, I'm sure, just shaking their heads. You're just ... I'm damned if I know. The government has gone absolutely stark raving mad.

END OF SEGMENT