Senate Passes long delayed Fisheries Bill
THE Senate passed the long-awaited Fisheries Bill, which contains comprehensive provisions to address issues facing the industry.
Leader of Government Business Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, who piloted the Bill through the Senate, noted that it has benefited from significant work over the 25 years of its development.
She said, however, that among the challenges it faced was the fact that it was started and got stopped on several occasions over those years, which created its own challenges in bringing the bill to fruition.
But, she considered it timely, as it contributes “fundamentally to our ability to explore and exploit the blue economy”.
“One of the things this Bill does is to create the institutional architecture that will modernise and allow us to create an industry that is so full of potential,” she remarked.
The Bill was passed with 25 amendments. It will be returned to the House of Representatives for final parliamentary approval next Tuesday.