The Aquaculture Industry Action Agenda – Creating an aquaculture industry for all Australians

Opportunity
Indigenous Australians can become significant stakeholders in the aquaculture industry and contribute to the industry’s growth in its early development stage.

Objective
To enhance the growth of the aquaculture industry by improving the opportunities for Indigenous Australians to contribute to, and participate in, its sustainable development.

Actions
The Commonwealth Government (AFFA, ATSIC) has agreed to establish an indigenous aquaculture unit within AFFA to implement the National Aquaculture Development Strategy for Indigenous Communities in Australia and to advise, help develop funding applications and otherwise promote Indigenous aquaculture development.

A member of ATSIC has joined the National Aquaculture Council and is actively involved on the action agenda implementation committee.

Success indicators
The success of this initiative will be measured on the basis of increasing indigenous involvement in aquaculture. One benchmark against which to measure the success of this initiative is an unpublished study by the Bureau of Rural Sciences in 2001 that found there were at least 28 aquaculture facilities in Australia with some level of Indigenous involvement.

Timeframe
Aim to:
• establish the indigenous aquaculture unit within AFFA within one year; and
• implement the National Aquaculture Development Strategy for Indigenous Communities in Australia over the next two years.

Results
The indigenous aquaculture unit has been established within the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. The unit has commenced initiatives as outlined in the publication - A National Aquaculture Development Strategy for Indigenous Communities in Australia.

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