newy.com.au – Oyster growers in Port Stephens and Newcastle could secure 30-year aquaculture leases under proposed NSW laws that would double lease terms, a change the government says would help businesses obtain finance for farm upgrades and expansion.
Government figures identify 323 leases in Port Stephens and two in Newcastle among the 2,421 leases covered by the proposal. The changes would affect 235 oyster businesses operating across 18 NSW council areas.
The amendments to the Fisheries Management Act 1994 are before Parliament and would extend lease terms from 15 to 30 years. The bill would also increase maximum penalties for stealing aquaculture stock and infrastructure.
The government says the existing lease length has made it harder for growers to secure finance, limiting investment in equipment and expansion. It argues that 30-year terms would better match the working life of modern aquaculture infrastructure and respond to long-standing industry requests.
Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said longer leases would give operators more confidence to invest.
“Doubling lease terms gives businesses the certainty they need to plan for the future and invest in modern, sustainable operations.”
The lease figures underline Port Stephens’ importance to the proposed changes. It has the equal third-highest number of leases in the state, alongside Eurobodalla, behind Mid-Coast Council’s 620 and Bega Valley’s 359. The Central Coast has another 135 leases.
Those figures count leases rather than individual businesses, with the statewide total reflecting operators holding multiple leases.
Under the proposed theft provisions, maximum penalties for individuals would rise to $22,000 for a first offence and $44,000 for repeat offences. The government says theft of farmed seafood and infrastructure is an ongoing problem for operators, and that stronger penalties are intended to protect businesses and curb black-market seafood sales.
The longer leases are also intended to support a joint industry and government target to double NSW aquaculture’s farm-gate value to $300 million by 2030. That target concerns the value of production across the aquaculture sector, rather than oyster farming alone.
Both the longer lease terms and higher penalties remain subject to the bill passing Parliament.
