Canberra, 6 October 2008
6th International Negotiation for the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation
Introduction
Distinguished delegates
It's my pleasure to welcome to you Canberra for the sixth international negotiation to establish a South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation.
You have an important goal ahead of you this week: to progress negotiations on the organisation that will safeguard the fisheries of the South Pacific.
The number of participants around the table - from 27 countries and fishing entities - demonstrates the importance of the fish stocks in question and the principles at stake.
You will of course bring the interests of your own nations to the table.
Some of you have sophisticated distant water fishing fleets.
Some have small fishing industries, important to local economies and ways of life.
Some are concerned about particular fish species and stocks.
And all of you are concerned about the fisheries' environmental and commercial sustainability.
Australia and the South Pacific
My aim in these opening remarks this morning is to lift our focus and locate our negotiations in the context of the broader concerns of the South Pacific.
The waters of the South Pacific range from the east coast of Australia, just down the road from here, across to New Zealand and the Pacific Island Countries, and all the way to the coast of South America and our Latin American friends.
It is in these rich waters that the fish stocks we seek to manage are located.
And it is to the countries of this vast region - and notably the Pacific Island Countries - that the stocks' careful management is most important.
The Australian Government is committed to developing closer relationships with our Pacific neighbours, and to strengthening the region's prosperity.
We understand that we must work collaboratively to realise shared economic and social aspirations.
An indication of this shift was my appointment ten months ago to be Parliamentary Secretary with responsibility for Pacific Island Affairs.
In March this year, Australia took another important step.
During his first official visit to Papua New Guinea, our Prime Minister made the landmark Port Moresby Declaration.
In it he committed the Government to 'a new era of cooperation with the island nations of the Pacific'.
Among the key elements of the Declaration was the recognition that the Pacific has significant natural resources - minerals, timber and marine resources - which need to be managed wisely and sustainably.
Australia pledged to increase practical cooperation with the Pacific island nations to meet the challenge of climate change and sustainable management of resources.
And at the heart of the Declaration was the Australian commitment to pursue Pacific Partnerships for Development.
The idea here is to establish a series of these Partnerships so we can support our neighbours to meet their United Nations Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
We have signed Partnerships with two neighbours already, and have made progress on a further five.
Pacific Island Forum leaders committed in August to redouble their efforts to make faster progress towards the Millennium Development Goals, making particular note of Australia's support through the Pacific Partnerships program.
We aim to build on individual countries' own development strategies and their own commitments to progress and reform.
This is essential in promoting higher growth and more effective delivery of basic services.
Our development assistance to the Pacific will be just under $1 billion this financial year.
On top of this, we recently announced a three-year Pacific Seasonal Worker Pilot Scheme, under which up to 2500 visas will be granted for seasonal work over three years.
That is another program through which we hope to encourage economic growth.
And we are taking forward negotiations for a regional free trade agreement - the so-called 'PACER Plus' arrangement, as envisaged by Pacific Island Forum leaders.
We believe that the more the Pacific nations are integrated with the wider global community, and the freer the flow of goods, services and investments within the Pacific, the better the prospect of genuine, stable and long-term economic growth in the region.
So you can see how these negotiations intersect with our interest in a peaceful and prosperous Pacific.
An effective management regime for the fisheries of the South Pacific is vital - not only for the fish stocks, but the long-term livelihood of its Island states, as well as of coastal and distant water fishing nations.
It will prove one of the most effective ways to achieve long-lasting outcomes.
Effective fisheries management is vital
Effective fisheries management is long overdue.
Many of the world's fisheries are being overfished.
Action is needed now, on several fronts.
In Niue in August Pacific Island Leaders recognised the need to draw creatively on the resources available to the region.
They endorsed engagement of the United States and France to work with the region to strengthen mechanisms to protect regional fisheries through new 'Niue Plus' arrangements.
These provide for the exchange of law enforcement data, cross vesting of law enforcement powers and the use of fisheries data for other law enforcement activities.
Australia has also been contributing significantly through the Defence-led Pacific Patrol Boat Program (PPBP).
This has provided twelve Forum island countries with a credible maritime surveillance capability to monitor and manage the maritime resources in their exclusive economic zones.
But it is the responsibility of all fishing interests to cooperate in regional fisheries management organisations so that we can ensure the long term sustainable use of global fish stocks.
These negotiations represent a step forward in fisheries management globally.
And I was reminded of the global interest in the task we face this week by the International Union for Conservation of Nature whose regional headquarters is in Suva, Fiji, who called on me recently.
Because this Treaty will close outstanding governance gaps for fisheries management in the South Pacific and ensure that a framework exists under which all fish stocks of the South Pacific can be conserved and managed.
That said, completing the Treaty text is only the first step in managing the fish stocks of the South Pacific.
Committing to the Treaty's immediate implementation after we adopt the text is the key. Australia considers it is critical to establish the Commission as quickly as possible.
Within this Commission, we will be able to cooperate to adopt effective management measures and a robust monitoring, compliance and enforcement regime to support the implementation of these measures.
This will be the surest means of guaranteeing both the long-term sustainability of the resource and the rights of legitimate industry.
Australia recognises there are a range of different fishing interests involved in these negotiations.
And a range of different fish stocks that will be managed by this Commission, from species like orange roughy and alfonsino, to jack mackerel and squid.
It is important that the final text accommodates as many of these issues, concerns and interests as possible.
A key issue facing the new Commission will be the effective management of the straddling stocks within its area of competence.
It is critical to try and establish as comprehensive a framework as possible in these negotiations, to deal with the complex nature of these stocks.
Ensuring that the regional and domestic management regimes are compatible is crucial to managing straddling stocks.
This will rely on cooperation between coastal States and distant water fishing nations to ensure sustainable use.
Conclusion
For these negotiations to succeed there needs to be continued willingness to compromise.
The Australian Government feels that we are close to concluding successfully the negotiations.
Australia brings to these negotiations a spirit of cooperation.
We are pleased to cosponsor the negotiations, with Chile and New Zealand. And we are proud to host this sixth meeting.
We encourage all parties involved to commit this week to achieving a Convention that provides a robust framework for managing these important marine resources of the South Pacific.
I wish you all the best in your negotiations this week so that a South Pacific fishery that is sustainable in the long term can be secured as soon as possible
Thank you.
Media inquiries: Mr Kerr's office - 02 6277 4991