Collapse of Fish Stocks

An investigation of the fishing industry in the southern Pacific by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists shows how the fate of the jack mackerel may foretell the progressive collapse of fish stocks in all oceans.

From 2006 to 2011, scientists estimate, jack mackerel stock declined 63 per cent.

The South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation, formed in 2006 at the initiative of Australia and New Zealand along with Chile, has endeavoured without much success to date to protect fish, particularly jack mackerel. They have concluded that an annual catch beyond 520,000 tonnes will further deplete jack mackerel stocks

Industrial fishing interests are resistant to the implementation of a quota system. Some have thumbed their nose at the science and research that highlights the gravity of the issue.

Reporters and staff from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists working with the Chilean investigative journalism centre Ciper, have traced how eight groups with a near monopoly on the industry have pressured the Chilean government to set quotas above scientific advice.

The troubling reality is that voluntary restraints have not worked in protecting fish stocks and that a binding convention is required to ensure the jack mackerel does not disappear from the southern seas.

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IS UNACCEPTABLE

I am one of the Male Parliamentarians for the Elimination of Violence against Women who has taken the White Ribbon Pledge – not to commit, not to condone and not to stay silent about violence against women. One of the things we have committed to is to raise awareness of the issue within our electorates, and I want to do something about discharging that obligation today.

A core part of Australian citizenship is respect for Australian law and the Australian legal system. And a core part of the Australian legal system is that violence against women, sometimes referred to as domestic violence or family violence, is never acceptable.

Domestic violence is an abuse of power perpetrated mainly, but not only, by men against women either during a relationship or after separation. It can take many forms – physical violence, coercive sex, emotional abuse, such as blaming the woman for all the problems in a relationship, or constantly undermining their self-esteem and self-worth, forbidding or physically preventing the victim from going out and meeting people – in effect imprisonment. It can take the form of using religious teachings or cultural tradition as an excuse for violence.

In Australia religious teachings and cultural traditions are not more important than the right of women to equal treatment with men, not more important than the right of all of us to be free of violence or the fear of it, nor are they more important than Australian law. And practices such as so-called ‘honour’ killings, dowry murder, trafficking in women and girls, female genital mutilation, and forced marriages are all breaches of Australian law and are not allowed in this country.

Unfortunately surveys suggest that our laws against domestic violence are often broken.

Over 50% of Australian women report experiencing at least one incident of physical violence or sexual violence by a man during their lifetime.

Sadly, much of this violence is perpetrated on women by men who they know. The most frequent category of perpetrators is current or previous male partners. The second most frequent category is male family members or friends. The most common location for physical assaults to occur for women is in their own home.

I hope you will agree with me that this is unacceptable and has to change. Being a good Australian man or woman means building safe and healthy relationships – partnerships, involving joint decision making and shared responsibilities. It means economic equality, emotional honesty, respect. It means supporting your partner’s goals and valuing their opinions.

Australia is a terrific country. I know you know that. I look forward to working with you in the future to make it an even better one. I congratulate you on the important decision you have taken, and I wish you well in everything that you do in the future. I look forward to working with you to build the great nation of Australia in prosperity, peace and freedom.

Reform of Live Animal Export Trade Should Not Be Delayed

The Government should not agree to the demand by live animal exporter Graham Daws for an extension to the end of February deadline for new regulations to apply to live animals exported to Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Turkey.

The Australian people are not indifferent to the treatment of live animals once they are exported from Australia. It is a matter of very great concern to them. In my experience most people are surprised and unimpressed to learn that we do not know how animals are treated once they leave Australia, and will expect the industry and the government to rectify this unsatisfactory situation within the announced timeframe.

Migration intake fuels Asylum Seeker conflict

Wednesday 21^st December 2011/mt

Migration intake fuels Asylum Seeker conflict

Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that, with the exception of Singapore, during the last 5 years Australia ran far and away the biggest per capita migration program in the world – 11.1 migrants per thousand people per year.  After us came Italy, with 6.7, Canada 6.6, Sweden 5.8, Hong Kong 5.1, the United States and the United Kingdom 3.3, and New Zealand 3.1.

I believe the Australian people are instinctively generous and good-hearted, but their tolerance has been stretched to breaking point by the quadrupling of the skilled migration program over the past 15 years, which has generated competition for jobs and housing and put pressure on family living standards.

As a consequence the debate about asylum seekers is very divisive.  It is doing nothing for our sense of national unity and respect for each other.

We should not expect the Australian people to accept an increase in the refugee intake in isolation.  It should be part of a package where skilled migration is cut by 50,000.  There are many good reasons to cut our migration program, and one of them is that it is likely to lift public support for an increased refugee program, which I think it’s something we have to bring to the table when we are working with our regional neighbours on the asylum seeker issue.  Furthermore the Australian people have said over and over that they think our migration level is too high, so cutting our massive migration rate is giving the Australian people what they want. 

In fact we could cut our migration program to 74,000, rather than 174,000, and we’d still be running one of the biggest per capita programs in the world – as big as the  UK, Italy and Sweden, and bigger than the US and New Zealand.

KELVIN THOMSON MP

Overseas Student Visa Breaches

Thursday 2^nd June 2011/ac

Kelvin Thomson MP

Federal Member for Wills

Overseas Student Visa Breaches

An investigation by the Audit Office has discovered that in March 2010 a backlog of 350,000 non-compliance notices which had been issued concerning international students for breaches of their Visa conditions. Breaches relate to things such as when students fail to start a course, fail to attend classes, or fail to pass subjects. It is fair to say that many of these breaches would be regarded as not very serious. It is also fair to say that by March 2011 that 145,000 of the non-compliance notices had been resolved by departmental staff.

Nevertheless 350,000 breaches of Visa conditions is way too many when we remember that there were 400,000 overseas students living in Australia in 2009-10. It is a matter of real concern that the Auditor-General Ian McPhee found it was “not feasible for the department to actively monitor if all 400,000 students has breached their Visas”, including whether they had worked more than 20 hours a week. This is still more evidence that the doubling of overseas student numbers from 204,000 in June 2002 to 467,000 in June 2009 gave us an overseas student program which got quite out of control. In 2001 the Howard Government changed the rules to allow overseas students to remain in Australia after completing their courses in Australia, rather than requiring them to return to their home country as was previously the case. This turned the focus of the overseas student program from getting an education to getting permanent residence in Australia.

The fact that the Department cannot successfully monitor whether the conditions of student Visas are being adhered to indicates either that the number of student visas is still too high, or that we need to put more money into Departmental monitoring. Either way, the benefits of overseas student programs have been exaggerated, and the costs underestimated. Student visa conditions such as actually undertaking a course, and not working more than 20 hours a week, go to the heart of the purpose and integrity of the student visa program. They must be complied with.

Kelvin Thomson MP

Federal Member for Wills

POPULATION STRATEGY – A MISSED OPPORTUNITY

COMMENTS ON SUSTAINABLE POPULATION STRATEGY

POPULATION STRATEGY – A MISSED OPPORTUNITY

The Government’s population strategy represents a missed opportunity to put Australia’s population on a sustainable basis and curb our rapid population growth.

The failure to set targets means we are still on our way to Big Australia, with net overseas migration tracking at 180,000 per annum, the number Treasury says will see Australia’s population rise to 36 million by 2050.

I remain concerned that the present rate of population growth – a 60% increase in our population over the next 40 years – will put upward pressure on the cost of housing, electricity, water, food, council rates, and upward pressure on interest rates.

The impact of a 60% increase in Australia’s population on our native wildlife will be catastrophic. Then there is the issue of carbon emissions. The government has promised to cut carbon emissions by 60% over the next 40 years. How are we supposed to cut emissions by 60% if our population is rising by 60% at the same time? It’s pretty hard to reduce your carbon footprint when your keep adding more feet.

I am pleased that the strategy acknowledges the challenges faced by our major cities, such as declining housing affordability and increasing traffic congestion.

I hope that all levels of government – federal, state and local – and all political parties – Labor, Liberal and Greens – will acknowledge the reality of life for people living in the big cities, and abandon plans to grow these cities still bigger. If all levels of government now work together to stabilise the populations of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, this strategy will have achieved something worthwhile.

But I continue to be convinced that another 13 million people will not give us a richer country, it will spread our mineral wealth more thinly and give us a poorer one.

Our aim to lift the participation rate and find work for people who are presently on Job Search Allowance or Disability Support Payments would be much more easily realised if we reduced skilled migration to the level of the mid 90s to give us a net overseas migration level of 70,000.

KELVIN THOMSON, MP

Member for Wills

13/5/2011

COMPANY CAR AND DEFENCE CUT BACKS

COMPANY CAR AND DEFENCE CUT BACKS

I welcome reports that the Government intends to introduce a single 20% fringe benefits tax rate for company cars in next Tuesday’s federal budget.

This would mean taxpayers who are given company cars would be in the same position regardless of how many kilometres they drive.

At present cars which are driven more kilometres incur less fringe benefits tax. This is an incentive to drive company cars further, which is not what we want when we’re trying to cut Australia’s carbon emissions.

Changing the Fringe Benefits Tax rules for company cars is something I’ve previously called for on several occasions. It was one of the recommendations of Ken Henry’s review of the tax system.  I’m pleased at these reports which show the Government plans to move to improve the health of both the Budget and the planet.

I also welcome the Defence Minister’s announcement concerning Defence spending cuts. It seems to me that the Howard Government’s 3% real increase every year in Defence expenditure has led to a massive increase in Defence expenditure over time, which has contributed to a culture within Defence which is extravagant, and does not represent the best use of scarce taxpayers’ dollars.

KELVIN THOMSON MP

Member for Wills

Friday 6^th May, 2011