Rockdale MP Steve Kamper says aborted marine park fishing lockouts “show how out of touch” the state government has become.
Mr Kamper told Parliament the proposed cruise ship terminal in Botany Bay was another example.
Responding in Parliament, Oatley MP Mark Coure said he “agreed totally” the fishing lockout zones were a bad idea..
“It is outrageous. I voiced my concerns directly to both the Premier and to the Minister,” he said.
“It is important to remember moving forward that there are no new fishing lockout zones anywhere in Sydney.”
But, not all government MPs agreed with the decision to dump the proposal.
Cronulla MP and Attorney-General Mark Speakman, a former Environment Minister, is understood to be among MPs who were unhappy the decision was made without wider ministerial consultation.
Mr Speakman declined to comment to the Leader.
Mr Kamper said he welcomed the government’s backflip on fishing lockouts, which would have “ripped away the fishing rights of thousands upon thousands of recreational fishers”.
However, “the fact that this outrageously over‑the‑top proposal progressed as far as it did shows how out of touch this government is”, he said.
”For generations fishing has been an accessible recreational pastime for rich and poor alike, something to be enjoyed with friends and family or even for a bit of solitary serenity,” he said.
“Whether out in a tinny or fishing from the rocks or a wharf, in my opinion there are few better ways to relax than casting a line or two and watching the gentle motion of the water.
“In Botany Bay, where many of my constituents fish, this proposed lockout could not have come at a more insulting time.
”It defies belief that the government would think it is acceptable to bring floating suburbs into the bay with their ridiculous cruise terminal proposal, which will involve an enormous amount of dredging, construction and ongoing damage to marine life in the bay, while at the same time worrying about the damage done by punters in tinnies.”
Oatley MP
