A stocktake on the fisheries red-tape reduction programme
By Dr Drew Donnelly, Compliance Quarter. The Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) has just announced that it has passed the milestone of 50 initiatives aimed at streamlining and updating the regulatory environment for the fishing industry. However, neither the Government’s announcement, the AFMA website, nor any accompanying media provide an up-to-date explanation of which of those initiatives have been implemented, which are being progressed and which have stalled. Furthermore, on 9 June a new national peak body for the seafood industry, ‘Seafood Industry Australia’ was launched. This body will provide a unified, non-fragmented, voice for the industry and will almost certainly place pressure on the Government and its agencies to demonstrate more progress in the area. Today, we provide a quick stocktake on some key initiatives that we know…