I boat, I vote: The boaties’ and fishers’ guide to the 2019 federal election

But if you own a boat, or like to wet a line occasionally, the way you vote could have a dramatic impact on the future of both recreational activities.

To help you form an opinion, boatsales.com.au has provided an unbiased, analytical assessment of the policies of the seven most talked-about political parties that will vie to form a new Australian government.

Whatever you do on May 18, make sure your vote counts.

The good: The Morrison-led government has pledged to invest $20 million in creating what it calls a Fishing and Camping Program, aimed at getting tourists and anglers out along the coastline.

“Around one in five Australians are recreational fishers, enjoying a healthy outdoor leisure activity,” it says. “A re-elected Morrison government will invest $20 million for local councils to improve, maintain or build new boating, marine rescue, fishing and camping facilities.”

The money won’t just go to fishers, with overseas tourists also to benefit from better and more amenities to make their visit all that more pleasurable.

“Studies have found a significant economic benefit from recreational fishing for Australia’s fishing towns – coastal, lake and river. New and improved facilities will encourage tourism, bringing jobs and economic growth,” it says.

“Fixing old and damaged facilities will also increase safety for our recreational fishers.”

It says local governments can apply for funds to kick-start projects including new or improved boat ramps, marine rescue facilities, toilet blocks and fish cleaning and camping facilities.

The government says it is investing $5 million in a native fish management and recovery strategy for the struggling Murray-Darling river system, and has provided $3 million to the CSIRO for ecosystem research.

When it swept to power in 2013 with Tony Abbott at the helm, the Coalition government binned Labor’s plans to significantly expand the number of marine parks.

Last year, though, the Morrison-led government introduced five new management plans (covering 44 Australian Marine Parks) across the north, north-west, south-west, temperate east and Coral Sea marine regions.

“Covering more than 2.8 million square kilometres, the marine parks will deliver the strong protection and sustainability that benefits all Australians,’ it says.

“They encompass 36 per cent of our oceans, well above the United Nations benchmark of 10 per cent – and we’ve done this in a balanced way that minimises impacts on commercial and recreational fishers.”

All up, the Libs' recreational fishing efforts are worth $29 million.

The bad: Allocating just $29 million to help improve the lot of recreational fishers and boaters is a drop in the ocean when you realise the level of funding commitment pales in comparison to annual state- and territory-based efforts to do the same thing – and is even more marginal when you take into account that the cash splash has to be shared with the tourism industry.

The good: The Nationals are in a coalition with the Liberal Party to form government. The Nats do have their own agenda supporting rural Australia, but in the main the party adopts the policies of the Liberals. A vote for the Nationals, then, is an endorsement for the Libs.

The bad: Flick through the National Party’s policy documents and it reads largely like a cut-and-paste job from the Liberal Party’s version. However, it is just in bullet points, and not broken down into individual policies.

The Liberal Party’s $5 million earmarked for fishing clubs to support the rehabilitation of fish habitats suddenly becomes $8 million on the Nationals’ policy document.

The good: Labor has promised to establish a $45 million bucket of money in a bid to “support recreational fishing in Australia". It is doing this by tipping an extra $10 million into the Supporting Recreational Fishing Fund to help improve the nation’s infrastructure such as boat ramps, grow fish stocks, and talking with anglers about what they feel is needed.

Something that stands out is the pledge to establish the Prime Minister’s Recreational Fishing Roundtable. This means if Labor leader Bill Shorten is swept to power, he will meet with industry leaders and recreational fishing groups once a year to discuss “pressing issues with both the prime minister and the minister responsible for fisheries”.

Labor says the roundtable will discuss guaranteed access for recreational anglers to fish, and to ensure recreational fishing is supported.

As well, Labor will tip an extra $10 million into helping replenish native fish stocks in the nation’s rivers, including the hard-hit Darling River. The money will go towards introducing an extra million fish into waterways.

“Labor will consult with recreational fishing groups on the best way to replenish native fish stocks, such as which species and breeds should be priorities,” it says.

“Options for funding will include funding support for dedicated fish hatcheries and co-investing in existing state government native fish breeding programs.”

That will include working closely with state-based fish stocking programs.

Another $500,000 will be earmarked for the Give Back to Habitat program that helps to make river and lake systems more fish-friendly.

“Recreational fishers are some of Australia’s most committed conservationists,” Labor notes.

Other promises include ongoing support for the National Recreational Fishing Council, give serious consideration to releasing the carp virus to control the numbers of the introduced aquatic pest, and support “investment into research on the role and impact of recreational fishing”.

A Shorten government will also continue to back the National Gone Fishing Day on October 20, 2019.

The bad: Shortly before it was ousted from power in 2013, the Rudd-led Labor government had proposed effectively doubling the area of Australia’s marine park network in a deal bashed out with the Greens. One of the first things the newly elected Coalition government did was stonewall the plan.

However, the marine park expansion is now firmly back on Labor’s agenda.

“Labor has committed to reversing the largest removal of area from conservation in Australian history and restoring the original 2012 Marine Park Network in full,” it says.

“This includes an adjustment package for commercial fishers, and will still allow recreational fishing in 96 per cent of Commonwealth waters within 100 kilometres of the shore. It does not affect the coastline or state waters.

Recreational fishing is currently permitted in 97 percent of Australia’s coastal waters, according to the Australian Marine Parks website.

Labor’s commitment to return the marine parks will also involve retaining some very minor improvements in the zoning in the current plans, including small oil and gas exclusion zones off the South Australian coast and the Kimberley Marine Park.

The good: The Greens are on the record saying they will give more resources to the National Landcare Program, which has received funding cuts under the Coalition government. This is important because the $1 billion, six-year program includes a “smart farms” program that supports fishers.

The Greens will come out in support of the Murray-Darling Basin, pledging to lift the freeze on water buybacks to return more water to the system.

The bad: “Australians love their coastline,” say the Greens. “From sightseeing and surfing to snorkelling and diving, we know all too well the importance of our marine areas to our lives and our identity.”

Notice what’s missing? That’s right, fishing.

Under the Greens, Australia will expand the area of its protected waters by 15.8 percent, or an extra 137 million hectares – that’s the same amount of area as the Australian land mass.

The Greens have gone on record saying they want to eliminate “habitat damage” from recreational fishing.

The good: Clive Palmer’s UAP wants to pour the money generated in pockets of Australia back into those regions. That potentially means more money will stay in places where recreational fishing makes an economic impact.

The bad: That’s it. There is nothing specifically on fishing or boating in the UAP’s four dot points that make up its national policy.

The good: One Nation has floated a plan to capture annual floodwaters that sweep the northern part of Australia and divert them to the southern river systems. It’s mainly in the interests of farmers, but it should have benefits for the fish, too, right?

The good: “Fishing is one of Australia’s most popular recreational activities, with enormous economic, cultural and social benefits,” trumpets the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party in a policy document simply titled “Fishing”.

“Fishers have increasingly become victims of green bureaucracy gone mad, while true facts and statistics are repeatedly ignored,” it says. “We believe sustainable and viable recreational and commercial fishing can exist and expand.”

The party’s eight-point plan focuses heavily on illegal commercial fishing, but argues for common sense on “unwarranted efforts” to ban recreational fishing, give more taxpayer dollars to state-based fish farms, educate Australians about recreational fishing, and for the federal government to stop meddling in state- and territory-based fish conservation programs.

It also wants to expand recreational access to “vast areas of … public waters suitable for recreational use”, as well as introducing fishing to schools.

As far as the environment goes? The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party says it will “support the establishment of marine protected areas based on sound scientific evidence, not political motivation or green bureaucracy”.

The bad: The SFF’s policies are quite vague.

The federal election will be held on Saturday, May 18.