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Parliament of Western Australia
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What is said in the sittings, update by update, the latest first. Each update opens the video at the second it was said.
The hearing concludes with comparison of WAFIC and Recfishwest positions on DPIRD resourcing and economic valuation used to justify reallocations, followed by WAFIC’s broader reflections on drivers of commercial–recreational conflict, concerns about quota in multi‑species fisheries, and calls for stronger legislative frameworks for recreational management and commercial access rights.
In this chapter
Sandra Carr and 2 others
WAFIC addresses cumulative spatial pressures from offshore energy, marine parks and other closures, critiques fragmented consultation and monitoring, and discusses site‑specific effects of artificial reefs and FADs, mixed evidence on sanctuary zone spillover, and broader ecosystem concerns including shark depredation dynamics and potential seismic impacts on fish stocks.
In this chapter
Standing Committee on Environment and Public Affairs (RecFishwest - 1:30 pm, 5 November 2026)
Sandra Carr and 1 other
The committee turns to Recfishwest’s views on commercial dhufish fishing, marine parks and DBCA consultation, conditions for supporting offshore wind development, integration of spawning areas and fisheries policy in marine park design, the role of artificial reefs and decommissioned infrastructure, concerns over seismic blasting impacts, shark depredation and deterrent research, and finally DPIRD’s commercial focus and under‑investment in recreational fisheries management and socio‑economic programs before closing the hearing.
In this chapter
Sandra Carr and 1 other
Witnesses discuss integrating industry knowledge into stock assessments, outline DPIRD’s multi‑level assessment framework, raise concerns about unprepared compensation schemes (VFAS/CFAS), present an alternative demersal gillnet plan, respond to questions on dhufish biomass and seasonal recovery zones, reflect on calls for an independent assessment, and question DPIRD’s resourcing and super‑department structure.
In this chapter
Standing Committee on Environment and Public Affairs (Fish for all - part 1 of 2, 5 November 2026)
Focusing on snapper, Dr Penn argues the current model misreads management‑driven effort reductions as abundance declines, contrasts this with post‑quota commercial and recreational catch trends suggesting improving stocks, and challenges southern snapper biomass reconstructions; committee members probe the empirical basis, the Punt review, exclusion of prior research and DPIRD assumptions, before the Chair moves an allegation‑related question into private session and ends the public broadcast.
In this chapter
Standing Committee on Environment and Public Affairs (RecFishwest - 1:30 pm, 5 November 2026)
Sandra Carr Australian Labor Party
A Q&A block examines the scientific basis for dhufish spawning closures and species‑specific management feasibility, suitable catch‑limit tools and stewardship approaches, club‑led education and behaviour change, technology use on recreational vessels, the primary causes of dhufish decline, and contrasts between effective pink snapper stocking programs and current constraints that make dhufish stocking unviable, reinforcing the need to protect wild stocks.
In this chapter
Sandra Carr and 2 others
The committee explores what process WAFIC expected for major closures, how its advice was ignored, and the extent to which the 2020 harvest strategy existed but was only partially implemented, focusing on missing annual management meetings, DPIRD’s data rationale, AMM purpose and frequency, and the dismantling of ministerial advisory committees in favour of a recreational‑only MAC.
In this chapter
Sandra Carr Australian Labor Party
Members probe alternative options and fairness between sectors, with shark gillnet fishers explaining their historic effort reductions, minimal dhufish catch, Zone 1 closure impacts, licensing barriers, and loss of intergenerational businesses, while WAFIC critiques IFM reallocations and long‑term bipartisan policy and resourcing failures affecting demersal stocks and charter allocations.
In this chapter
Standing Committee on Environment and Public Affairs (Fish for all - part 1 of 2, 5 November 2026)
Sandra Carr Australian Labor Party
Drawing on historic management records and catch‑and‑effort data, Dr Penn critiques DPIRD’s opaque demersal modelling, explains the objectives and access rights underpinning the West Coast Demersal plan, details latent effort removal and fleet consolidation, and uses multiple figures to argue that dhufish and snapper catches and standardised catch rates did not show depletion prior to 2007, contending the later overfished classification relied too heavily on age‑composition data and model assumptions about older fish.
In this chapter
Standing Committee on Environment and Public Affairs (RecFishwest - 1:30 pm, 5 November 2026)
Sandra Carr Australian Labor Party
Members probe DPIRD–Recfishwest liaison after the demersal ban, the role and governance of the Ministerial Advisory Committee, and whether the 20‑month closure should be extended, before moving into detailed debate on recreational versus commercial shares, the history and flaws of Integrated Fisheries Management allocations, uneven catch reduction burdens, citizen science contributions, and Recfishwest’s acceptance and interpretation of DPIRD’s biomass assessments and risk thresholds leading to a dhufish‑focused management proposal.
In this chapter
Standing Committee on Environment and Public Affairs (Fish for all - part 2 of 2, 5 November 2026)
Dr Penn argues DPIRD failed Fisheries Act management plan duties and improperly escalated un‑reviewed ‘overfished’ advice to the minister, before proposing suspension of the ban and use of commercial catch‑and‑effort data as a lower‑cost, legally sound alternative; the chair then closes the hearing.
In this chapter
Standing Committee on Environment and Public Affairs (Fish for all - part 1 of 2, 5 November 2026)
Sandra Carr Australian Labor Party
Dr Penn sets out his independence from Fish for All, his former leadership roles in WA fisheries science and reporting to Parliament, his subsequent consultancy and recent departure from DPIRD, and explains his historical responsibility for effort‑based management frameworks that differ from the current quota‑driven approach.
In this chapter
Standing Committee on Environment and Public Affairs (Fish for all - part 1 of 2, 5 November 2026)
Sandra Carr Australian Labor Party
The committee clarifies Fish for All’s formation, structure, board and membership, then confirms hearing logistics while the organisation reiterates its fundamental rejection of DPIRD’s demersal science and clarifies that claimed peer review related only to model methods, not full stock assessments.
In this chapter
Standing Committee on Environment and Public Affairs (Fish for all - part 2 of 2, 5 November 2026)
Sandra Carr Australian Labor Party
Committee members question Dr Penn on the departmental legal warning and his publications, then hear from industry representatives about halted management meetings, the August 2025 ministerial assurances, an unviable three‑year closure proposal, and allegations that DPIRD avoided consultation to pursue a pre‑determined demersal shutdown.
In this chapter
Standing Committee on Environment and Public Affairs (RecFishwest - 1:30 pm, 5 November 2026)
Sandra Carr Australian Labor Party
The Chair examines Recfishwest’s governance, membership and funding model, then explores the case for a state fisheries policy and the economic and social contribution of recreational and charter fishing, including spending, jobs and changing motivations among different fisher segments and younger generations.
In this chapter
Sandra Carr and 1 other
The committee examines WAFIC’s institutional role, funding and membership, then tests its views on the adequacy of existing fisheries policies, acceptance of DPIRD science, communication failures, federal versus state assessments, and timelines for recognising overfishing and advocating stronger controls, including on recreational overcatch.
In this chapter
Standing Committee on Environment and Public Affairs (Fish for all - part 1 of 2, 5 November 2026)
Sandra Carr Australian Labor Party
The Chair opens the hearing, administers oaths and procedural directions, and invites Fish for All to outline its statewide concerns about the demersal fishing ban, including the use of FRMA section 43, alleged pre‑determined DPIRD reforms, allocation to recreational fishers, disputed stock assessments, and severe socio‑economic impacts on commercial operators.
In this chapter
Standing Committee on Environment and Public Affairs (RecFishwest - 1:30 pm, 5 November 2026)
Sandra Carr Australian Labor Party
The committee is opened, witnesses from Recfishwest are sworn in, and an opening statement sets out the significance of dhufish, the history of stock decline, and the need for clearer fisheries management objectives, including the 20‑month closure decision and a post‑2027 species‑ and area‑specific management vision grounded in ‘optimum use’ of public fish resources and the government’s policy choice to prioritise recreational access over commercial demersal fishing.
In this chapter
Standing Committee on Environment and Public Affairs (Fish for all - part 2 of 2, 5 November 2026)
Sandra Carr Australian Labor Party
Dr Penn concludes his evidence on demersal stock assessment, challenges the overfished diagnosis and lack of peer review, outlines licence valuation and likely compensation exposure, and details claimed sampling biases and weakened fisher–scientist engagement following departmental restructuring.
In this chapter
Sandra Carr Australian Labor Party
The hearing is opened, witnesses are sworn and WAFIC outlines its mandate, criticises deteriorating consultation with DPIRD, and details social, economic and market impacts of demersal decisions alongside concerns about opaque policy development and statewide quota reform.
In this chapter
AMCS rejects allegations linking demersal rules to offshore wind development, contrasts the limited evidence on offshore wind with growing concerns about seismic blasting impacts on fish, and argues that DPIRD is under-resourced for the science, monitoring, compliance and education needed to secure demersal stock recovery before the Chair formally closes the hearing.
In this chapter
Sandra Carr Australian Labor Party
The committee examines AMCS’s consultation role in DBCA marine park planning, then tests claims about illegal fishing and shark depredation, with the witness arguing that legal catches, not illegal activity or shark numbers, drove demersal depletion and that shark depredation should be managed through changes in fishing behaviour and methods, noting partial recovery but ongoing vulnerability of key shark species.
In this chapter
Sandra Carr and 1 other
The hearing concludes with questions on shark depredation, the relevance of seismic issues to a state demersal inquiry, comparative offshore mining restrictions such as the NSW ban, and the conditions for supporting a holistic state fishing policy, before CCWA stresses WA’s outsized oil and gas footprint, calls for a just transition and unified leadership, and the Chair formally closes the session.
In this chapter
Sandra Carr Australian Labor Party
AMCS explains that overall catch reductions, rather than the complete removal of commercial fishing, are key to sustainability, justifies reallocating much of the demersal resource to recreation on socio-economic grounds, and addresses the resulting loss of stock-assessment data while proposing a very small, tightly managed offshore commercial fishery (with limited inshore catches) to support tourism, restaurants and essential monitoring.
In this chapter
Jess Beckerling and 2 others
CCWA details recent and projected marine heatwave impacts on WA reefs and demersal species, then responds to questions on Auditor General findings, departmental capacity and information gaps, before outlining environmental and legal risks from ageing offshore oil and gas infrastructure, rejecting ‘rigs‑to‑reefs’ proposals and committing to provide evidence on safe artificial reef standards.
In this chapter
The hearing returns to the distinction between marine parks and fisheries management, DPIRD’s resourcing and stock-management role, reforms to stakeholder engagement processes, improved DPIRD–DBCA coordination and sanctuary targets, DBCA’s research capacity and PhD collaboration, before the committee formally closes the session.
In this chapter
DBCA discusses emerging pressures such as offshore renewables, illegal fishing and shark depredation while identifying marine heatwaves as a key threat, then outlines temperature and ecological monitoring, coral regeneration research under WAMSI and planned work on seagrass, with commitments to provide supporting publications and roadmaps.
In this chapter
Sandra Carr and 1 other
The committee examines DBCA’s role in consultation on seismic proposals in and near state marine parks, prohibitions and limits of state jurisdiction, gaps and questions on notice regarding visitation and fishing access data, and detailed zoning types for recreational and commercial fishers.
In this chapter
Sandra Carr Australian Labor Party
The witness outlines limits of existing recreational controls, the crucial role of large breeding dhufish (BOFFs), and the rationale, design and trade-offs of demersal recovery zones as a tool to offset rising technological fishing pressure, while discussing data and reporting needs for a constrained 2027 reopening and arguing for partial access consistent with long-term stock recovery.
In this chapter
Sandra Carr and 1 other
Members probe the spatial extent and scientific evidence on seismic harms, the interaction with carbon capture and storage projects, and whether seismic is compatible with sustainable fisheries, while CCWA challenges an industry‑funded study, defends its criticism amid committee concerns about peer‑review protocols, and agrees to table key seismic and CCS papers on notice.
In this chapter
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