FISHERIES — FINFISH NURSERY — GERALDTON
309. Hon COLIN de GRUSSA to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Minister for Fisheries:
I refer to the Department of Primary
Industries and Regional Development's recent admission that the finfish
nursery in Geraldton may not proceed.
(1) How many applications have been
received to date to operate any future finfish nursery?
(2) Were any previous tender
applicants approached again to operate the nursery?
(3) Is the nursery still expected to
be located within the Batavia Coast Maritime Institute?
(4) Does the
minister agree that this investment, initially announced in 2019, has been
significantly delayed; and, if yes, what are the reasons?
Hon KYLE McGINN
replied:
I thank the
member for some notice of the question, although he might not like the answer.
The
premise of the member's question is incorrect. The government's
commitment to this project remains unchanged.
(1) The Geraldton marine finfish nursery is to be
built and initially operated by the state government; therefore,
applications have not been sought to operate the nursery.
(2) Not
applicable.
(3) Yes.
(4) Completion of
the nursery has been delayed primarily due to the impacts of the COVID-19
pandemic on potential commercial aquaculture operators.