The Aquaculture Committee is a consultative group made up of representatives from each state and territory to consider key issues fundamental to policy, regulation, and governance of aquaculture in Australian waters. Whilst each region has its own unique characteristics and the policy positions of individual departments may vary, many issues are common to all States and there are significant advantages to sharing information and management tools that can be universally applied. 

Aquaculture Committee meets twice a year. Representatives from Fisheries Research Development Corporation, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and the National Aquaculture Council have a standing invitation to attend meetings. The Chair is a member of the Australian Fisheries Management Forum. The Aquaculture Committee Charter provides a terms of reference for the group.

Notes from the latest Aquaculture Committee meeting held on 10 September 2010 in Canberra.

A key objective of this meeting was for the Aquaculture (AC) to finalise a paper on Open Ocean Aquaculture (undertaking aquaculture in Commonwealth Waters) prior to the Natural Resources Ministerial Standing Committee meeting in November. However, due to the timing of the federal election and the requirement for commonwealth policy input it was not possible to progress this paper as originally planned.

The AC therefore took this meeting as an opportunity to review the activities updates provided by each State and consider emergent issues in greater detail than is usually possible. Sharing policy and project information is one of the beneficial outcomes of AC meetings. 

A number of additional items will be added to the standard State reporting template in future, including: resources devoted to aquaculture; funding arrangements and cost-recovery options; regulatory reform; and market updates.

The AC discussed the status of the National Aquaculture Council observer position on the AC, given the loss of the CEO position and the fact that industry representation will now come from a local representative from the State in which AC meetings are held. It was agreed that the loss of centralised industry representation will make uptake of industry concerns more difficult. The AC will provide a letter to National Aquaculture Council, expressing appreciation for Justin Fromm’s contribution over the years and conveying disappointment about industry’s decision to close the CEO position.

A brief update was provided on each of the AC’s Workplan Priorities, they included: 

• The Open Ocean Aquaculture paper will continue to be progressed via the Ministerial Councils. The AC agreed on an approach that gives the Commonwealth Minister the power to negotiate MOU-equivalents with individual states. 
• The ‘Best Practice’ reporting spreadsheet that considers a 2004 Productivity Commission Report on simplifying and streamlining aquaculture legislation nationally was discussed. The project has provided guidelines and priorities for each State to focus on.
• NSW offered to host the AC webpage on behalf of the AC as part of a communication strategy, given the National Aquaculture Council’s changed circumstances. The webpage will contain a brief update of the AC’s activities. 
• The draft report for NAC’s ESD reporting project has been finalised with industry support, and will soon be circulated to the AC. Options for following up on the report’s actions will be discussed at the next AC meeting.
• The AC will provide a letter to Animal Health Committee advising of the successful completion of the ‘harmonisation of disease testing’ report seeking to streamline disease screening requirements between Victoria, Queensland and NSW. The project is now moving to implement the recommendations. 

The next AC meeting is to be held in Brisbane in early March 2011.