An Australian prawn farmer says government inaction has stalled development of a multi-billion dollar aquaculture industry.
Fronting
the Federal parliamentary inquiry into aquaculture, Pacific Reef Fisheries general manager John Moloney told ABC News that successive governments have
failed to address barriers to develop the burgeoning industry. |
| Picture courtesy of ABC News. |
"The biggest frustration is that we're dealing with multiple government agencies about exactly the same thing."
Pacific Reef Fisheries operates a 100 hectare farm near Ayr producing 1,000 tonnes of black tiger prawns, worth about $20 million per year.
For 14 years, the company has been working on a proposal to construct a 260 hectare operation at Guthalunga, on the Elliot River between Ayr and Bowen. Once built and in full production, Mr Moloney said the new farm would quadruple the company's production.
"We're talking $80-$90 million dollars a year."
Mr Moloney claimed the lengthy and complex approval process has been exacerbated by changing Federal and State government policy and duplication across multiple departments.
"Our main message is, embrace us as an industry that has huge potential, and work with us," he said.
"As long as the government and industry has common goals, and that includes environmental management, then we will build a really good industry for Queensland and Australia."
Read more HERE.
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