Mr Hibbins to ask the Minister for Public Transport for the Minister for Fishing and Boating —
In relation to the Victorian Fisheries Authority issuing fisheries permits under the Fisheries Act 1995:
(1) What are the timelines for issuing permits.
(2) How many permit decisions have been made outside of the timelines in the past 12 months.
(3) What were the reasons for the delay.
Answer – 18 July 2019
I thank Mr Hibbins for his question about permits issued by the Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA).
Permits are issued by the VFA under the Fisheries Act 1995 for a range of purposes, including research, fisheries management, commercial fishing, education and stocking of fish.
The VFA timelines for issuing permits are from 4-6 weeks once a completed application is lodged.
A total of 207 permit applications were received by the VFA in the 12-month period from 7 June last year to 6 June this year. 70 per cent of these applications were approved or declined within the 6-week period, and 60 per cent of these were issued within 4 weeks. 17 per cent of applications were approved or declined more than 6 weeks after the application was received. The remainder of the applications are ongoing.
There are several reasons why an application may not be decided upon within the 4-6 week period. The most common is that the VFA is awaiting information from the applicant in order to complete the assessment process. Some applications are complex and require a detailed assessment process. Fish stocking applications for example, require a risk assessment to be completed by the applicant to ensure environmental considerations are taken into account. The VFA will also work with the applicant on appropriate permit conditions and this two way process can take time so that permit conditions are fit for purpose.
I thank you for your question on this matter.
Jaala Pulford MP
Minister for Roads
Minister for Road Safety and the TAC
Minister for Fishing and Boating
