Element

Cost*

Fishing Concession Buyback (Business Exit Assistance)

The Australian Government will be running a one-off, voluntary tender process to encourage individual fishing businesses to exit the industry. It will be a competitive process with a capped budget to reduce excess fishing capacity in those fisheries that are either subject to overfishing, or are assessed as being at significant risk of future overfishing due to excess capacity.

While licence holders in all Commonwealth-only fisheries (except the southern blue fin tuna fishery which is internationally managed) will be able to tender, the main target fisheries are:

• the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (excluding the Great Australian Bight Fishery, which is not subject to overfishing);
• the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery; and
• the Bass Strait Central Zone Scallop Fishery.

Funding has also been set aside to assist the Northern Prawn Fishery with a transition to a management system based on output controls should the industry choose to do so.  Commonwealth and State fishers affected by the declaration of Marine Protected Areas in the South East marine region will also be eligible for business exit assistance.

$149m

Onshore and Related Assistance Programme

Up to $30m will be available for a number of assistance measures under this programme including:

• grants to help restructure businesses directly related to the fishing industry (e.g. marine suppliers, fish processors and ship chandlers) who are severely impacted by the reduction in fishing activity.
• grants of $5,000 and $3,000 each will be paid to skippers and crew respectively who lose employment due to the fishing reductions to help offset the costs of job seeking, retraining and/or relocation.
• up to $1,500 each will be available to fishing businesses and directly affected onshore businesses to offset the costs of obtaining professional business advice on their best options under the package.

$30m

Fishing Communities Programme

Up to $20m will be available for a grants programme to work with local business partners to fund projects capable of generating local economic activity and opportunities in communities that have been affected by the reduction in fishing activity. 

$20m

AFMA Levy Subsidy

For those remaining in the industry, a $15 million subsidy for AFMA fisheries management fees will be brought in for 3 years on a reducing scale, commencing 2006-07. A further $6 million will be will be directed towards improved science, compliance and data collection to ensure improved management outcomes.

$21m

GRAND TOTAL

$220m