NSW Fisheries officers' night strike over safety risks

Fisheries officers patrolling Sydney's waterways say it's no wonder drug traffickers have infiltrated the commercial industry. Unlike other states, NSW Fisheries officers say its too easy to get a commercial fishing licence and want the same powers as other states to check boat and car registrations, conduct surveillance and undertake investigations. They've begun strike action with the officers now refusing to complete inspections of commercial trawlers at night unless their demands are met. They are also calling for stab-proof vests, pepper spray, access to real time GPS tracking of the entire commercial fishing fleet and the introduction of a 'fit and proper person' test for commercial fishing licence holders and their crew. The Public Service Association assistant general secretary Troy Wright says someone will get killed unless their demands are met. Currently officers have no way of knowing if a car or boat they inspect is going to be filled with bikies or other criminals, making it difficult for them to avoid dangerous situations, he said. "This is why the NSW fishing fleet is so appealing to drug traffickers to pick up cocaine shipments off the continental shelf," he said. "In 2020 a fishing trawler called Coralynne was caught carrying 1.8 tonnes or $850 million worth of cocaine it had picked up from a larger ship in international waters, if Fisheries Officers had boarded this boat they might have been killed." The risk for officers wasn't just miles off the coast, he said they often intercepted poachers with thousands of abalone and rock lobster at all hours of the night. A spokesperson from the Department of Primary Industries said a running commentary on the proceedings was "not helpful". "The government takes the safety of our Fisheries Officers extremely seriously," the spokesperson said on Sunday.