2016/20: Should shark nets be deployed in the waters off northern New South Wales?
Introduction to the media issue
Video clip at right:On September 27, 2016, Nine News ran a report on a recent shark attack off Ballina and the renewed debate over the deployment of shark nets in the area. If you cannot see this clip, it will be because video is blocked by your network. To view the clip, access from home or from a public library, or from another network which allows viewing of video clips.
What they said...
'Frankly, if it's a choice between people and animals, I'm on the side of the people every time'
Former Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, arguing in favour of shark nets
'In the 52 years from 1950 to 2002, more than 11,500 sharks were caught and killed in the nets'
The 2005 New South Wales Fisheries Committee report on the impact of netting on sharks
The issue at a glance
On December 8, 2016, New South Wales Minister for Primary Industries, Niall Blair, announced the deployment of five shark nets to be trialled on the New South Wales North Coast, ahead of the school holidays.
This is a turn-around in New South Wales government policy. Though nets have been placed on Sydney beaches and at Newcastle and Wollongong, the New South Wales government had previously resisted calls to have them installed in northern New South Wales coastal waters.
The change of strategy was brought about in part by an increased number of shark attacks in the area. The nets are being set as a trial. They will be in place for six months from December 2016 and their effectiveness will be reviewed in terms of their impact on human safety and the loss of marine life they cause.
The decision has met with a mixed reaction within the coastal communities affected and has been criticised by conservationists.