MARINE PARKS TO DEPT. OF ENVIRONMENT !

[CEO]

SHOCK - HORROR. Another tsunami! The Government Gazette dated 2/4/07 advises that ALL MARINE PARKS and AQUATIC RESERVES (NSW) are to be transferred to the new Dept of Climate Change, Environment and Water. (Bob Devious's old Dept) The transfer of jurisdiction takes place this month. The new Minister is Phil Koperberg. Their Marine Parks and Aquatic Reserves will now be administered and managed by ecologists who don't know the difference between a whiting and a wobbegong. The Greens win again. This move was one of their demands of the Labor Party. It is going to make our job harder, dealing with fanatical, lock it up at all costs Greens, but it has also steeled and hardened our resolve to get rid of them! Fisheries staff, who were employed by the MPA now don't have a job!

[Nete-Quette]

Is the story available online anywhere? Is the Government Gazette available online?

[CEO]

TIE this in with indigenous land rights claims (some to the 3nm limit) and the future looks pretty bleak. Who's ready to hang up their rods and play bowls? Does anyone in the Labor government fish? Or are they all too busy creating one scandal after another? A fortnight ago, we had a continually "apologising," Premier. Today we've got a continually, "launching an enquiry, Premier."  And we've got four more years of it!

[KingPin]

Guys,

The government gazette is available on line at

http://www.advertising.nswp.commerce.nsw.gov.au/Gazette/2007+Gazettes/2007+Gazettes.htm

I cannot find the one that CEO talks about. Tha gazette is published every friday. The last one published on the site is 30th March, 2007.

Pin

[Nete-Quette]

Thanks KP

[CEO]

AND CONFIRMED by a Staff Memo, from the DG of NSW DPI (Fisheries) dated 2/4/07, to all staff. Now stand-by for the announcement of the first of a series of "Sanctuary Zones," in freshwater habitat areas, under this new administrarion. The first is planned for the North Coast in a popular Bass fishing site. Then areas that are already designated "wild rivers," will be next. (Upper reaches of the Manning, Macleay, Clarence, Guy Fawkes, Nymbioda, Mann etc etc)
 WHY? Because NSW recreational fishers aren't organized and therefore can't really object, says the Labor politicians!

                              AND.........50% of our coast and estuaries locked up by 2010 (BEFORE the next election) is still another current demand by the Greens!

                                                                      ECOFISHERS  NEEDS  MORE  MEMBERS!  CAN YOU  HELP?

[CEO]

                                                                              LABOR REWARDS GREENS.
 Just have a look at what is in store for recreational fishers with the transfer of these powers to the new Dept of Environment - Bob Debus's old Dept. And you think we were hardly done by during the previous years! You ain't seen nuthin yet! You can all add a new species to the "enangered list." That's you and me...recreational fishers! And all because they think NSW recreational fishers aren't organized and politicians can do what they like with them! You need to join ECOfishers NOW! There's a hell of a fight coming up during the next four years....we are going to have to fight for our very survival! I kid you not!
  4WD access to any beach or headland, anywhere in NSW, is now under dire threat. And if you want to use and enjoy any of your National Parks, you're going to have to walk and lug all the gear! These are just some of the items the Greens have on their "hit-list," for recreational fishers. So are you all going to sit back and cop it sweet, do nothing while your remaining rights, are rapidly ripped from you, by a bunch of extreme Green preservationists? When will you decide enough is enough? Will it be when you have to licence your fishing rods like firearms and keep them under lock and key? If so, then it's all too late. For then the horse has already bolted and the stable door has been locked forever! If you continue to do NOTHING, then obviously NOTHING will change! There are enough recreational fishers in this state to change the Government by themselves! When, is the question.
                             AND THERE'S A LOT MORE "BAD NEWS," TO COME FOR RECREATIONAL FISHERS! But don't blame me - I didn't vote for them!

[CEO]

                                               FISHERIES MINISTERS VIEW OF RECREATIONAL FISHERS:

 Last year, (2006) at a meeting with Minister Macdonald, he told representatives of ECOfishers NSW, "I understand that there is currently, no properly constituted non-government body, that can authoritatively claim to comprehensively represent the interests of all recreational fishers in NSW."
              CEO Ken Thurlow led the ECOfishers deputation. He can vouch for the veracity of the Ministers comments. In fact it was recorded.

  WON'T YOU HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE?  YOUR INDIVIDUAL VOICE BECOMES OUR COLLECTIVE VOICE! AND IT GIVES US A MUCH MORE POWERFUL VOICE.

[Nete-Quette]

MEDIA RELEASE
3rd April 2007

THUMBS UP FOR GOVERNMENT CHANGES ON MARINE, WATER AND VEGETATION

NPA commends the NSW Government on changes it announced to the management of marine parks, vegetation and water in NSW this week. We welcome the transfer of responsibility for these areas to the new Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water.

The changes announced yesterday abolish the Department of Natural Resources and move most of this department, along with Marine Parks and aquatic threatened species, to the new Department of Environment and Climate Change (formerly Dept. of Environment and Conservation) or the new Department of Water and Energy under the same Minister.

?Putting marine parks and aquatic threatened species solely under the environment portfolio will ensure good science. It means the ecological needs of the 16 listed aquatic threatened species and marine parks will no longer be subjugated by fishing interests and departmental obstructions?, said Andrew Cox, executive officer of National Parks Association of NSW.

?Department of Primary Industries stymied advances in marine conservation at almost every turn.

?Likewise, Department of Natural Resources had been beset by cultural and performance problems since its inception, and its credibility with NSW native vegetation reforms was undermined by its poor performance on compliance, monitoring and private native forestry,? Mr Cox said.

?DNR was heavily captured by the resource exploitation industries, including big agri-business, which compromised its implementation of Government policies on water and vegetation.

?The arrangements align both marine and water management with Federal arrangements. As with the Commonwealth managed Great Barrier Reef, we expect NSW Marine Parks to rise in their recognition, standard of management and status.

?However, while we are cautiously optimistic, there is still a lot of work to do to make sure the departmental changes deliver real improvements for management of marine parks, water and vegetation in NSW.

?We do not want this to be just another shifting of the deck chairs, as we have seen with natural resource restructures in the past. Many of the major problems with the Department of Natural Resources were related to problem staff in key positions and this must be addressed.

?We also want to see a major shift to fact-based transparent decision-making that is grounded on the best available scientific information in the management of our natural resources.

?We look forward to best practice vegetation monitoring, strong action on illegal land-clearing, proper regulation of logging on private land, improved environmental flows for our ailing rivers and real whole-of-government progress on addressing climate change by the new Department of Environment and Climate Change and its Minister.

?These changes signal a new era of responsible environmental management?, concluded Mr Cox.

Contact details:
Andrew Cox 9299 0000 (w); 0438 588 040 (mob)

[CEO]

  NOTE how the Greenies are still referring to "their marine parks," as the National Parks of the sea. Frightening isn't it!  Sad thing is, they really mean it and believe it, - and that's even worse!

[CEO]

FISHERIES MANAGEMENT ACT 1994: One of the relevant Sections of this Act to be transferred to the Minister for CCE&Water, is No 38 Section 7. This Section refers to the "Protection of Aquatic Habitat." It includes such issues as, Habitat Protection, Aquatic Reserves, Development of Activities within those areas, Dredging & Reclamation and the Protection of Mangroves etc.
  There is a curious history of a number of Intertidal Protected Areas becoming Aquatic Reserves, especially in Sydney! And even some Local Government Rangers, (Ordinance Officers) and National Parks Officers etc, can and are being trained as Fisheries Officers, to perform certain enforcement tasks.
  It is important to note that "Aquatic Habitat," is not exclusively "marine habitat." The definition extends into freshwater habitats also.
 The Greenies have always held the view that they couldn't get the lock-up areas they demand because of "fishing interests and Departmental (Fisheries) obstruction." That problem has now been totally overcome by this transfer of authority and power to the new Department of Climate Change Environment & Water.
  So! What's on the horizon? In the immediate view, more lock-ups, more lock-outs, and fewer and fewer places in which to fish! Yet your fishing licence fee will remain exactly the same ...... for the time being!
                           NOW, DO YOU FEEL LIKE JOINING ECOFISHERS?   There, your voice becomes our voice!    Can you afford not to belong?

[Pi]

From today's SMH - p 5

Phil


Brown MPs attack new green ministry
Jonathan Pearlman
April 13, 2007

The State Government faces further internal turmoil from a bloc of ministers who want to curb the powers of the new climate change portfolio.

The so-called browns - Michael Costa, Ian Macdonald and Tony Kelly - are trying to prevent the climate change portfolio from including responsibility for native vegetation, coastal protection and marine parks.

These areas have been transferred from the Department of Natural Resources - which has been abolished - and handed to the inaugural Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water, Phil Koperberg.

Mr Koperberg and the minister assisting him, Verity Firth, are new MPs from Labor's Left faction and are regarded as strong environment advocates.

Mr Macdonald, who formerly held the natural resources portfolio, and Mr Kelly both live in rural areas and belong to Country Labor. Mr Costa, who is the Treasurer and Minister for the Hunter, is a strong supporter of the coal industry. They would not comment yesterday.

The Premier, Morris Iemma, announced during the election campaign that he would create a new super-portfolio to co-ordinate efforts to combat global warming. After the election most of the agencies under Natural Resources were transferred to the climate change ministry.

"We thought all this was a done deal," said an MP from the Left. "We went to the election with this policy."

However, several brown MPs and ministers have been lobbying for the changes to be reversed and want several agencies put back in the power of the Minister for Lands, Mr Kelly, or the Minister for Primary Industries, Mr Macdonald. Mr Costa is believed to have contacted the director-general of the Premier's Department, Col Gellatly.

Dr Gellatly could not be contacted yesterday. The Premier's Office is expected to call a meeting of the ministers to resolve the dispute next week.

The turmoil comes as Mr Iemma faces internal opposition from 11 Country Labor MPs angry about a plan to set up a rural task force chaired by an independent, Richard Torbay.

The convener of Country Labor, Gerard Martin, has requested a Premier's Office briefing on the task force and says he wants to co-chair it or have it abolished. "We are there already to look after regional issues. I was incensed when I read Torbay's press release and when I saw people would be answering to him," said Mr Martin, the MP for Bathurst.

Mr Iemma set up the task force after taking the unusual step of inviting Mr Torbay to be the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly after Labor's Left faction refused the job. Mr Torbay said he would accept the position only if he was allowed to chair a rural task force. Mr Iemma agreed.

But Country Labor MPs were not consulted and have expressed concern that the task force will take credit for any rural benefits that result from their lobbying.

Mr Torbay said yesterday he intended to involve Government MPs in the task force and would not oppose co-chairing it.

"This is about getting country views to the parliament," he said. "I am comfortable about [a co-chair], as long as ? there is a good process for repairing the damage to country regions."

[CEO]

 THANKS Pi. You are always good for some thoughtful, appropriate and relevant comments. Thanks again mate.

[CEO]

STOP PRESS:  NSW "Wild & Scenic Rivers," legislation will be one of the first to be reviewed under the new administration, with a view to further draconian restrictions!

[CEO]

 And Labor's Debus and Macdonald said they have no plans to impose another marine park on the fishing families of the Hawkesbury Shelf Biorgion. So why were the Greenies so keen to get marine parks into their Minister's portfolio? And pigs might fly!