This project has developed a strategy to guide engagement between Indigenous nations and the Commonwealth government, in relation to the management of fisheries. Please see below for more information.
Photo credit: Nick McClean
Following legislative changes to the Commonwealth Fisheries Management Act in 2017, Commonwealth government agencies now have an obligation to take into account the interests of Indigenous groups when making decisions about how Commonwealth fisheries are managed.
The aim of this project is to develop a strategy to guide effective engagement between Indigenous fishing interests and management agencies responsible for Commonwealth fisheries, and with applicability to appropriate state and local level processes.
The project has worked with a group of capable Indigenous experts and community leaders with relevant knowledge and experience in fisheries and Sea Country matters to advance the project activities.
The team has worked with relevant government agencies to build clear commitments to engaging with Indigenous groups in the process of managing Commonwealth fisheries. A Statement of Commitment from these agencies can be found below.
Resources provided below include:
Summary report
A summary report from the project is provided below. This includes key recommendations and initiatives of the engagement strategy based on the project deliberations and research.
Development and trial of an Indigenous Fisheries Technical Working Group
Submissions of a trial Indigenous fisheries technical working group (IFTWG), developed as one part of a wider engagement strategy. This submission prepared for the statutory review of the Commonwealth Harvest Strategy Policy and Commonwealth Bycatch Policy.
Document library on Indigenous Fisheries and Sea Country
This document library provides a list of 104 publicly available resources on Indigenous fisheries and Sea Country, including links to documents themselves, stretching back to 1986.
Our focus in collating these documents is to highlight those publicly available statements that have been made by Indigenous Nations related to their rights, responsibilities and interests in fisheries and their Sea Country over a very long period of time. By collating publicly available resources at the time of the project’s conclusion (Dec 2024) we aim to support better engagement between Indigenous and non-Indigenous groups with respect to these issues.
Chief investigators
The project team includes senior Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers as follows:
- A/Prof Steve Hemming, Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research.
- Prof Craig Longman - Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research
- Dr Nick McClean, Climate Society and Environment Research Centre, UTS.
- Prof Daryle Rigney, Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research.
- Stephan Schnierer, Independent fisheries researcher.
Funding body
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Australian Government, and the Australian Fisheries Management Authority.
Project Reference FRDC 2021-024: Development of an Indigenous engagement strategy for fishing interests with a focus on Commonwealth fisheries.
Resources
- Summary Report – Commonwealth fisheries Indigenous engagement strategy (PDF, 822kB)
- Statement of Commitment from Commonwealth Fisheries agencies (PDF, 700kB)
- Submission of a trial Indigenous Fisheries Technical Working Group to the Commonwealth Fisheries Policy Reviews.(PDF, 495kB)
- Document library: Indigenous Fisheries and Sea Country.(PDF, 534kB)