Cosgrove Clayton: Fisheries Amendment Bill (No 4) — Second Reading 
Cosgrove Clayton: Fisheries Amendment Bill (No 4) — Second Reading 
[Volume:618;Page:14488] 
CLAYTON COSGROVE (Labour—Waimakariri) 
: 
 As a member of the Primary Production Committee I rise to support the Fisheries Amendment Bill (No 4) and also to add to the comments of members in respect of the scampi inquiry. I will start with that and say to the Green member Ian Ewen-Street that he is right: under our system this is the last place to try to correct injustices for our people. I pay tribute to every member of the select committee. It is by its nature almost a non-partisan committee and that was nowhere more exemplified than in this inquiry because every member despite differences in politics realised that this was a grave issue to deal with and that people’s livelihoods were at stake both large and small. 
By the end of the process we unanimously came to the conclusion that some gross unfairness had taken place. We have to remember that this was perpetrated some 10 years ago and has hung around since then. But I would say to Mr Ewen-Street that in talking about injustice one must remember that under our parliamentary and select committee system we must deal with the evidence put before the select committee. We were unanimous as a select committee that allegations of illegality and corruption whether they were laid at the feet of a number of fisheries players or the ministry were not proved on the evidence. We do not operate a kangaroo court system in this democracy. We must make judgments as a committee based on the evidence despite I must say in qualification the gut feeling that many of us had on varying occasions about certain issues. Members who sat for those 59 or 100 hours that we did considering evidence and listening to submissions will know what I mean by that. But as a committee we identified unfairness and attempted in the best possible way we believe to correct that unfairness. 
The only issue that the select committee parted company on and I acknowledge Mr Heatley’s contribution was whether or not to name dollar figures. Even that issue was dealt with in the spirit of the committee. There was a difference in opinion as to whether that should happen. 
Phil Heatley 
: It was a line-ball call. 
CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: It was a line-ball call the member says. The majority of the committee supported putting in some minimums I suppose in essence to ensure that the ministry played a fair game with those people who were to be compensated. After all the committee’s job was not to allocate dollars; the committee’s job was to make recommendations. 
For the record the Government and the committee and we all agreed on this inquiry have attempted to clean up a large amount of incompetence that occurred 10 years ago. Without getting into the politics of who was in Government and who was not because I do not think it is appropriate it is on the record that there was gross mismanagement and I would argue incompetence in terms of how the scampi fishery and the allocation processes were managed and gross unfairness resulted from that. I have to say that those same officials were to put it as delicately as I can less than helpful from time to time in coming before our select committee. Some would say that from time to time they were obstructive but I will leave it at that. 
I conclude on the point that I believe we have through this bill placing scampi into the quota management system tried to move this issue forward and bring it to a resolution but also tried ultimately to protect that fishery. But I say to the major players and protagonists—Simunovich Fisheries in particular which will through catch effort gain the vast majority of that scampi fishery—that I think the days of litigation are over. I am a little outraged that further litigation in various quarters is proposed by various parties because I think enough is enough. I suspect that though I do not speak for them other members of the select committee on different sides of the House may tend to agree at least in part with what I am saying. I say to Simunovich and other major players to get on with it. The issue is coming to a conclusion. The records to the best possible extent have been put straight. I call on those parties to get on with it get out of the court get back in the boat get their feet wet get a bit of salt going and go and catch some fish. 
I say to those people who came before us—in particular to Mr Goodship and others who were compensated here—that I think we would all agree there were some pretty heart-wrenching stories and some huge impacts both emotionally and economically on a number of players. I pay tribute to those fishers who kept fighting right through that 10-year period to try to get that unfairness corrected. 
In summation I support the bill. In summation as a still relatively new member of the House I congratulate and commend each and every member of the select committee because I think we showed as a committee how people would like Parliament to work more often. I think it would be a delight for people to come and sit around the table at the Primary Production Committee and see the good humour see the non-partisan nature that members engage in and see exactly how this inquiry rolled out. 
In my short time here but having talked to other senior members there must be something about that committee that committee room the air-conditioning or something because generally that committee—[ 
Interruption 
]. Maybe the Green member contributes in a smoky sort of way. There is something about that committee whereby members fire their shots and have their political points of view but at the end of the day the intent of that committee is to get decent legislation and get decent outcomes back into this House. I acknowledge every member for that. I think we did the best possible job we could. We have been criticised—whichever way we go on this inquiry we will be criticised. 
I finish by just repeating this: I call on those in the fisheries industry to get out of the courtroom and get back on the boat and let us keep developing the industry.