Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Amateur Fishermen's Association of the NT CEO David Ciaravolo says an update on Blue Mud Bay and policies affecting the Barramundi fishery are on the agenda for tonight's AGM

Transcript

Amateur Fishermen's Association of the NT CEO David Ciaravolo says an update on Blue Mud Bay and policies affecting the Barramundi fishery are on the agenda for tonight's AGM · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: Me.
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  Speaker 2: In the studio right now is David Chirrovolo, who is
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  Speaker 2: indeed the CEO of the Amateur Fishermen's Association of the
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  Speaker 2: Northern Territory. Good morning to you, David.
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  Speaker 3: Good morning Katie, and good morning listeners.
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  Speaker 2: I think the only person busier than me this morning
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  Speaker 2: might be you. You've got the AGM on this evening and
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  Speaker 2: no doubt plenty up for discussion.
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  Speaker 1: It's always a frantic day, which is part of a
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  Speaker 1: frantic week when we have the ADM, but it's a
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  Speaker 1: really important one tonight, a great opportunity for people interested
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  Speaker 1: in fishing to come along and find out about some
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  Speaker 1: of the biggest issues that are impacting on territory fishing
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  Speaker 1: right now.
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  Speaker 2: And hasn't there been a losh really throughout this year?
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  Speaker 2: You know, intertitle fishing access, new policy for wet season
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  Speaker 2: water harvest, the port plans for Elizabeth River. They are
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  Speaker 2: just some of the issues that are going to be
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  Speaker 2: covered off tonight, aren't they.
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  Speaker 3: Absolutely. So we're going to have a couple of ministers there.
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  Speaker 1: We've got Minister Paul Kirby, Minister for Fisheries and Agribusiness,
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  Speaker 1: Minister Selling the UBO, Minister for Indigenous Affairs coming and
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  Speaker 1: talking about the governments commitments to fishing and also those
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  Speaker 1: Bloomer Bay negotiations. As we know, fishes have been locked
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  Speaker 1: out of a number of really popular areas and there
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  Speaker 1: are a number of looming threats on the horizon there too.
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  Speaker 1: We've got senior bureaucrats coming to present on the surface
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  Speaker 1: water flows policy. Surface water flows drive the Barrel Munday fishery,
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  Speaker 1: so it's really important that we have conservative management in
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  Speaker 1: the future. There'll be a detailed presentation on that and
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  Speaker 1: people can find out how they can get involved and
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  Speaker 1: have their say. And of course the Middle Arms Sustainable
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  Speaker 1: Development Precinct, which people might not realize from the name,
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  Speaker 1: actually involves building port facilities in the mouth of the
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  Speaker 1: Elizabeth River, an area that's very popular with recreational fishes,
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  Speaker 1: and that will involve quite a lot of dredging. So
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  Speaker 1: again opportunity to come in get the information from the experts,
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  Speaker 1: but also to ask questions.
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  Speaker 2: David, fishing is a real way of life, I think
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  Speaker 2: you'd have to say for so many territorianes. There's a
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  Speaker 2: lot of people, you know, it's their job as well.
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  Speaker 2: You know, there's a lot of businesses, a lot of
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  Speaker 2: tool groups, etc. That are based around fishing. It's a
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  Speaker 2: huge part of what we as territories really identify as
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  Speaker 2: being us being ourselves. And this morning we heard from
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  Speaker 2: Bill Yan he was on the show raising concerns about
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  Speaker 2: Shady Camp. Now, I'd questioned him whether he was fear
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  Speaker 2: mongering here or whether this was political game playing, But
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  Speaker 2: what is the situation right now with Shady Camp?
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I wish he was raising unnecessary concern but that's
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  Speaker 1: not the case.
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  Speaker 3: There are real concerns around Shady Camp.
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  Speaker 1: Obviously, we worked really hard to try to put a
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  Speaker 1: potential detriment to fishes on the record for the day,
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  Speaker 1: for the Shady Camp, but also the rest of the
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  Speaker 1: Mary system. We had nearly two thousand people recreational fishes
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  Speaker 1: participate in a survey where they self reported, and unfortunately
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  Speaker 1: that evidence was rejected by the Aboriginal Land Commissioner who
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  Speaker 1: thought that it wouldn't be procedurally fair to the traditional
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  Speaker 1: owners to have that information put there. Subsequently, we've had
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  Speaker 1: an opportunity and invitation from the federal Aboriginal Affairs Minister
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  Speaker 1: to respond to the land claim report.
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  Speaker 3: We've done that.
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  Speaker 1: That was an opportunity for us to send that information
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  Speaker 1: again firsthand. You know some things in that report, like
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  Speaker 1: describing the use of the barrage for fishing as being sporadic,
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  Speaker 1: when in the definition of sporadic is you know, uncommon
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  Speaker 1: and irregular, when in actual fact you see fishing off
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  Speaker 1: of that barrage on any day that the road is open.
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  Speaker 1: It's most days of the year that didn't hit the mark,
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  Speaker 1: and that we've got real concerns that if the land
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  Speaker 1: is granted and we'd have a boat ramp that drops
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  Speaker 1: into two hundred and thirty seven meters of an Aboriginal
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  Speaker 1: land claim before the rest of the day's fishing is
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  Speaker 1: done outside in public orders. And the minister said, well,
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  Speaker 1: normally we would wait to do a negotiation with the
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  Speaker 1: territory government and in this case, if that happens, so
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  Speaker 1: be it.
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  Speaker 3: But she's not minded to wait.
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  Speaker 1: And so it is very very concerning, and it is
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  Speaker 1: a real wake up call for the territory government to
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  Speaker 1: kick into gear and to let us know what they
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  Speaker 1: plan to do about it.
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  Speaker 2: How is the Northern Territory government not consulting with the
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  Speaker 2: federal government about this and the impact that it's going.
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  Speaker 3: To have well.
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  Speaker 1: On the one hand, I think, to be fair, this
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  Speaker 1: is an evolving issue and this is relatively recent information
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  Speaker 1: and it's certainly not the case where there's still surveys
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  Speaker 1: to be done. Their process to go through that will
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  Speaker 1: legitimately take time. But we also need to hear from
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  Speaker 1: the territory government. It is disappointing that the federal government
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  Speaker 1: is not bringing the resources it has or the role
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  Speaker 1: that it could play to mediate a good result for
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  Speaker 1: everybody here. We're not against the recognition of traditional ownership.
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  Speaker 1: We've been very very clear on that, and the law
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  Speaker 1: will be very very clear that it will be up
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  Speaker 1: to tos to decide what happens with their waters. But
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  Speaker 1: these are the same traditional owners in many cases who
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  Speaker 1: are managing the Mery River National Park in joint authority
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  Speaker 1: with the government, and who have been welcoming people to
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  Speaker 1: their lands. So we hope that there's opportunity there. We
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  Speaker 1: would really hate to see that Territorians end up in
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  Speaker 1: tremendous heartache and get completely alienated from some of the
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  Speaker 1: most important and beautiful places in the territory because people
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  Speaker 1: are not doing what they can when they can.
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  Speaker 2: Well, look, we've got messages coming through on this very topic.
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  Speaker 2: I've got one here from Mary in Humpty Doo. She'd said,
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  Speaker 2: good morning, Katie, regarding Shady Camp. If there was no usage,
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  Speaker 2: why did the Northern Territory government spend millions to upgrade
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  Speaker 2: the ramp and the car park in recent years. That
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  Speaker 2: was Mary obviously making that comment. One from Cam from
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  Speaker 2: the Do and he said, if I can't fish Shady
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  Speaker 2: I'm selling up, shutting my business and moving. I'm already
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  Speaker 2: not allowed to fish my favorite spots, Mini Mini and
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  Speaker 2: Little Phinis River. Enough's enough, reckons Cam.
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  Speaker 3: Well, Katie.
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  Speaker 1: Unfortunately, it's not a surprise for me to hear those
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  Speaker 1: sentiments being expressed, because those are sentiments that I hear
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  Speaker 1: all the time. This is becoming an increasingly emotive issue
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  Speaker 1: for so many people because it's fundamental to how people
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  Speaker 1: feel as human beings. Fishing connects people to the natural environment.
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  Speaker 1: These are places where people have made their memories with
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  Speaker 1: their family. These are places where in the rest of
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  Speaker 1: Australia people take for granted the ability to access the
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  Speaker 1: really important parts of the country, and so Territorians are
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  Speaker 1: doing it tough. They have lost more access than ever before.
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  Speaker 1: We recognize traditional owners' rights This is not the question.
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  Speaker 3: The question here.
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  Speaker 1: It's very very clear that traditional owners will decide what
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  Speaker 1: happens on their waters. What isn't understandable is how the
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  Speaker 1: government is not doing a better job of actually negotiating
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  Speaker 1: and saying, Hey, when Aboriginal people were locked out of
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  Speaker 1: pastoral lands, that was wrong and we did something about it.
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  Speaker 1: How can it be now that we have other landowners
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  Speaker 1: Aboriginal land trusts, that the government isn't doing a better
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  Speaker 1: job of communicating the fact that not being able to
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  Speaker 1: access the place that they love and care about, the
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  Speaker 1: place that are near and dear to their families and
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  Speaker 1: that supports so much of the territory economy.
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  Speaker 3: Is not making progress.
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  Speaker 1: It It beggars belief that this is stalled so badly,
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  Speaker 1: and it's creating division. It's creating the sentiments that you're
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  Speaker 1: hearing where people are saying, well, I don't know if
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  Speaker 1: the territory is for me anymore. And that might have
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  Speaker 1: sounded dramatic at some point, but now that people are
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  Speaker 1: actually losing that access, that's real.
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  Speaker 3: That's what real people are saying.
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  Speaker 2: And look, I know that some people listening, you know,
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  Speaker 2: some may not go out fishing, and it may not
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  Speaker 2: be a big concern to them, but others listening this morning,
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  Speaker 2: maybe Avid Fishers, they'd head out there all the time,
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  Speaker 2: out to Shady Camp all the time, and are actually
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  Speaker 2: going to be pretty surprised by what you and I
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  Speaker 2: are actually discussing right now.
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  Speaker 1: So look, of course it matters the most to fishes,
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  Speaker 1: but it shouldn't matter only to fishes. It should matter
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  Speaker 1: to everybody who cares about having a harmonious territory, a
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  Speaker 1: place that we can live in and share together, and
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  Speaker 1: a place where the government does the best that it
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  Speaker 1: possibly can to in sure and to broker that harmony
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  Speaker 1: where it gets tested.
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  Speaker 2: David, is this shady Camp issue going to be a
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  Speaker 2: late inclusion to the AGM tonight?
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  Speaker 1: Well, look, certainly bloom my Bay into title access and
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  Speaker 1: land claims.
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  Speaker 3: We're already a very big part of it.
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  Speaker 1: The CLP have certainly raised this issue today and this
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  Speaker 1: will be discussed tonight. I have absolutely no doubt. Look, Katie,
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  Speaker 1: I would implore anybody who is interested in this to
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  Speaker 1: come along tonight. Tonight's the opportunity to find out as
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  Speaker 1: much information as you possibly can, to hear from the
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  Speaker 1: ministers responsible and from the government and to ask the
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  Speaker 1: questions that are burning in their minds. So look, it's
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  Speaker 1: tonight at six o'clock. Registrations begin at five point fifteen.
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  Speaker 1: All are welcome, and we strongly encourage any recreational fishes
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  Speaker 1: who are interested about this issue or obviously access, but
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  Speaker 1: also the developments in the harbor, also the developments on
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  Speaker 1: the water policy to come along and we hope to
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  Speaker 1: see that tonight. Drinks on arrival and some nibbles.
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  Speaker 2: Where is it exactly, David remind us.
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  Speaker 1: It's at the Travel Lodge on Kavanaugh Street. That's a
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  Speaker 1: very critical detail. You've got to go to the right place,
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  Speaker 1: so that's in the CBD. It's a fairly convenient location there,
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  Speaker 1: so it's at the Travel Lodge on Cavanas Street.
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  Speaker 2: Well, David Girovolo, it's always good to catch up with you.
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  Speaker 2: We might have to catch up with you in the
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  Speaker 2: coming days to find out how it's all gone as well,
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  Speaker 2: and to hopefully you get some progress when it comes
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  Speaker 2: to this shady camp issue. But I know that there's
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  Speaker 2: plenty of issues, as you've pointed out, bubbling along right now,
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  Speaker 2: so we always appreciate you coming in having a chat
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  Speaker 2: with us.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: Thanks, so much, Katie, and people can jump on our
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  Speaker 1: Facebook page to get the event details if they need
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  Speaker 1: to hear them again.
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  Speaker 2: Perfect.
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  Speaker 3: Good on you, David, thanks so much,