SENATOR THE HON RICHARD COLBECK

Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry

M E D I A  R E L E A S E

Greens and their friends prove they live in cartoon land

The Greens and their fringe environmental friends have shown their true colours with a call to base Australia's marine parks policy on a cartoon and not on proper consultation and science.

Following the decision by the Coalition to sensibly suspend the national Marine Bioregional Planning process so that Labor's faulty process could be fixed up, a Greens candidate described the policy as 'flawed'

Greens Candidate for Moreton Elissa Jenkins said this was because it ignores issues raised in the 2006 Warner Brothers animation Happy Feet. Ms Jenkins said:

"Anyone’s who’s seen the animated children’s film Happy Feet would know that overfishing is the biggest threat facing our fishing and tourism industries – not sanctuaries."

"Does it mean the Greens policy for Australian families is based on the Simpsons?" said Federal Coalition spokesperson for fisheries Senator Richard Colbeck.

"The Greens' statement completely ignores the world-leading management regimes that exist within Australian waters.

"The best way to assess our marine environment is to consult with fishers and impacted communities and to look at the scientific analysis of marine biodiversity."

Senator Colbeck said the criticism by the Greens and their friends in the environmental lobby demonstrated they had either not read the Coalition's marine parks policy or chose to selectively ignore parts of the policy.

"The environmental lobby relies upon demonising the fishing industry – recreational and commercial – without examining the science or practicalities of developing marine parks. They are more interested in tugging heart strings than reading the science.

"Greenpeace are even falsely claiming the Coalition policy "takes us further down the path of having a future without fish"!

"You only have to read the annual fisheries statistics reports released by the bureau of rural Sciences which show Australia's fish stocks, due to world leading management by the fishing sector, are becoming healthier.

"The most worrying part is that Labor has done a backroom preference deal with the same people who make such outlandish claims. And as a result of this grubby Labor-Green deal, the Greens and their fringe environmental friends could well take control of the Senate.

"That would be one disastrous cartoon best left on the cutting room floor."

Patrick Clancy

Office of Senator Richard Colbeck

Senator for Tasmania | Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry

Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Industry, Innovation, Science & Research