Wednesday, 29 July 2026

 Chris CREWTHER (Mornington) (19:06): (1741) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Environment. The action I seek is that the minister reverse the cuts to frontline fisheries enforcement, restore the fisheries officer positions lost through the Victorian Fisheries Authority restructure and guarantee that Mornington and the peninsula are properly resourced with sufficient locally based fisheries officers, vessels and operational support to provide an effective enforcement presence across Port Phillip and Western Port.

Port Phillip is not simply another waterway. It is one of Victoria’s most valuable environmental, recreational and economic assets. It supports thousands of recreational fishers, boating clubs, tourism operators, charter businesses, commercial operators and local communities. It also contains sensitive marine ecosystems that deserve strong protection. The overwhelming majority of recreational fishers do the right thing. They comply with bag and size limits, respect seasonal closures and protect marine parks. They expect those who deliberately break the law to be detected and prosecuted. That requires visible, well-resourced frontline fisheries officers. Instead, this Labor government have weakened that front line.

In 2025 the Victorian Fisheries Authority reduced its workforce from 192 to 157 positions; 15 fisheries officer positions were removed statewide. The Braeside and Altonafisheries stations were closed. Mornington escaped closure only after significant community opposition and advocacy from me and many others. The government ultimately retained the station with just four fisheries officers – just four officers to help protect one of Victoria’s busiest recreational fishing regions, covering both Port Phillip and Western Port. Even that level of resourcing was inadequate. Four officers cannot simultaneously conduct offshore patrols, inspect recreational catches, investigate illegal commercial activity, respond to reports through the 13FISH hotline, monitor marine parks, undertake surveillance operations, prepare prosecutions, appear before the courts and provide the visible deterrence that protects our fisheries. The community is now asking whether Mornington’s operational capacity has been reduced even further. If that is not the case, the minister should immediately clarify the current staffing levels. The government owes the peninsula an explanation. The Victorian Fisheries Authority’s own figures demonstrate the consequences of reducing frontline enforcement. In 2024–25 there were 28,000 ‍recreational fishing inspections; during the first nine months of 2025–26 fewer than 11,000 ‍inspections were undertaken. That is despite complaints being as high as ever. We need action on this issue as soon as possible.