budget – Michmutters
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Australia

Why carp, one of Australia’s worst introduced pests, could be a great budget-friendly fish

Just a fraction of the 5,000 seafood species make it from the ocean to dinner plates, but experts say broadening our nets could help seafood sustainability while keeping the weekly food budget in check.

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Is it time for our fish-and-chip menus to change?

New South Wales Department of Primary Industries senior fisheries manager Luke Pearce told ABC Radio Melbourne that while carp had a bad name, the fish could find some love in the kitchen.

Carp are one of the worst introduced pests in Australia and have negative impacts on water quality and biodiversity, according to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

“They have such a negative impact on our environment and they’ve just caused such huge problems in our river system,” Mr Pearce said.

A swap of carp in brown water swimming.
The more carp taken out of waterways the better, according to senior fisheries manager Luke Pearce.(Rural ABC)

There was also a notion that carp made bad eating and that put people off.

“I was of the opinion for a long time but I’ve convinced a lot of people over my time to taste them,” Mr Pearce said.

“But there are a few things you’ve got to do first.”

Plating up a pest

While Mr Pearce said carp could survive in some pretty unappealing environments, like in the water at a sewerage treatment plant, a good rule of thumb was that if you’d eat any other fish from the water source, carp would also be safe to consume .

Dead carp falling out of a crate
A national control plan is being developed for carp.(Landline: Kerry Staight)

“So if you’d eat a trout or a golden perch or a cod from the same waterway, then a carp would be fine to eat from it,” he said.

Mr Pearce said tackling the fish’s flavor was also something to keep in mind.

When under stress, carp produces histamines which create an odor and its distinctive muddy taste.

“The quicker you can get that fish on ice, the less likely the muddy taste will be present,” he said.

Slippery mucus on the fish’s body also tarnished carp’s eating reputation, but Mr Pearce said the solution was skinning.

“Once you skin your fish, that mucus is gone and you’ve got a really nice clean, fresh and tasty fillet of fish that you can do a bunch of things with,” he said.

cook vs cull

A $15.2 million carp control plan is being developed with the aim of slashing numbers of the invasive species using a herpes virus, but Mr Pearce said there was still a push for people to see the fish as a protein alternative.

“Carp are being turned into fertilizer … but they’re consuming all these resources that take away from our native fish and the more we can take out the better,” he said.

How about eels?

Co-founder of the Lake Bolac Eel Festival Neil Murray lives on Jupagalk Country in south-west Victoria and has been participating in an annual eel harvest for almost two decades.

Mr Murry said First Nations people would gather in the late summer at Lake Bolac as the eels began their annual migration to the sea to spawn, known as kuyang season.

“The eel was the most-favored fish by First Nations people,” he said.

“It’s highly nutritious, very abundant and it’s easy to catch.”

Raw eel on a plat
Eel is still largely exported overseas.(ABC Radio Sydney: Amanda Hoh)

Mr Murry said while the industry was still fairly lucrative, most of the catch was frozen for export.

“I just prefer it freshly grilled over coals and I usually cut it into sections about four-inches long and let the oil drip out of it,” he said.

“I think initially a lot of people were put off it because it’s a slimy, squirmy thing that looks like a snake, but when you’re brought up in the area like I was, it was a part of our diet.”

different not more

University of Melbourne marine and fisheries ecologist John Ford said of the species that fishers caught, only a few made it to the retail giants.

“The fish you see on the supermarket shelves, the ones that are already in demand, are only going to get more expensive,” Dr Ford said.

“The ocean can’t give us any more fish than it is right now and as the population grows, the demand grows.”

Dr Ford said that meant looking at eating lower-quality products, like fish meal, a product made from wild-caught fish and by-products.

But he said there was one major reason lesser-known products weren’t at the shops.

“We don’t know how to cook them, and that’s the real challenge,” he said.

Big pieces of Norwegian salmon are stacked on top of each other in a fridge at a supermarket.
It would need to be profitable for supermarkets to stock alternative seafood.(Flickr: BakiOguz)

Consumers would have to feel comfortable cooking an unfamiliar product.

“It requires someone to be bold and put these products on the shelf and to educate people,” Dr Ford said.

He said while Australia’s supermarket duopoly would make a shake-up a challenge, future collaboration with peak fishing bodies could shore up seafood’s future.

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Categories
Australia

Wondering what the ACT budget means for you? Here are the five key takeaways

The ACT government has today released its 2022-23 budget, setting out its spending for the coming year.

There are few surprises enclosed in the documents, with major announcements for health and housing already made in the past week.

But what the papers do reveal is an ACT economy that is thriving, despite outside forces continuing to threaten Canberrans’ hip pockets.

1. Things are better than we thought

First, the good news: the territory is faring better than expected.

In October last year, ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr delivered an economic update. An outbreak of the Delta variant of COVID-19 had forced a lengthy lockdown, leading to a $951.5 million deficit.

But, according to the budget papers released today, that position has improved, with the deficit now sitting at $580.4 million.

“The ACT economy has outperformed expectations, demonstrating resilience and flexibility in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and other adverse global and national events,” the budget papers state.

Today, Mr Barr, who is also the ACT’s Treasurer, credited that improved economic position largely to a surging population.

“Revenue has driven that improved situation, which is largely a reflection of the territory’s increased population,” he said.

A main street lined with trees and greenery.
The ACT economy’s recovery from the effects of lockdowns has been stronger than expected.(ABC News: Ian Cutmore)

But it’s not all good news — that boom in people also has a downside.

“The fact that our population has grown by nearly 90,000 people demonstrates that people want to live in Canberra,” Mr Barr said.

“And that explains why we have seen such strong demand for housing, such strong enrollments in our schools and pressure on our health system.”

And it’s that growth and demand that has guided much of the budget spending announced today.

2. Costs are going up, but the government says we can afford it

Close-up of Australian currency on leather handbag with keys and face mask to the right
Some costs are expected to increase, including parking fees and gas bills.(ABC Everyday: Fiona Purcell)

Over the past two years, many costs have been mitigated or put on pause by the government to ease financial pressures brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

But those measures are gradually ending.

A pause on an increase to government paid parking is set to end, which means Canberrans will notice a jump in prices.

Home owners will also notice an increase in household rates of 3.75 per cent on average.

For homes, that means $111 more per year and, for units, an extra $67.

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Categories
Australia

ACT budget 2022: Winners and losers

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has released the details of his 11th budget as Treasurer — his third since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Here are some of the ways the budget may affect you and Canberra.

Winner: Home owners

An illustration of a house with a Hill's Hoist washing line beside it.

Hang on: don’t rising interest rates make home owners with mortgages losers?

Maybe, but the ACT government doesn’t have much to say about interest rates.

It does set household rates bills, though. And, while these will still increase, this year’s rate rises for Canberrans who own homes will be much gentler than in recent years.

The average bill is set to increase by 2.5 per cent — or $111 per year — in 2022-23.

That’s well below inflation and comes after a decade in which rates typically rose by 6 to 7 per cent a year.

Loser: Unit owners

An illustration of skyscrapers in the city.

Canberrans who own units and townhouses face much steeper rate rises than owners of houses.

The average bill for these properties will increase by 9.9 per cent — or $67 per year — in 2022-23.

These owners had been spared some of the very large hikes that house owners had borne in previous years.

But as the value of units and townhouses rises, their owners’ taxes will increase, too.

Winner:Economy

Illustration of pile of coins increasing in height

If you looked at Canberra’s economic indicators and nothing else, you might well conclude: “The pandemic must be over.”

The ACT economy is hurtling along, fueled by a relatively fast-growing population. The federal government has played a big part, employing more staff and consultants.

State final demand (the size of the economy) grew by 3.2 per cent last year after accounting for inflation. Residents and businesses are spending significantly more than they were.

And while rising electricity prices are weighing down other jurisdictions, the ACT has been largely spared due to its long-term renewable energy contracts.

All this has left the ACT budget hundreds of millions of dollars better off than was expected a year ago.

But, can it last?

Winner: Workers

An illustration of a man with a builders hat in front of a brick wall.

Make hay, Canberra workers: now, more than any other time in living memory, is the moment to ask for a pay rise or find a new job.

Treasury officials note there are consistently more job vacancies in the ACT than there are workers. They also expect new employment opportunities to continue to outpace population growth.

This hasn’t yet contributed to real pay rises; inflation is hitting everyone.

But salaries are already rising in Canberra, mostly in the private sector. The Albanese government has also ditched the 2 per cent a year ceiling on public servants’ pay rises.

Wage growth is forecast to reach about 3.5 per cent within a year, while inflation is expected to drop well below that.

Neutral: Employers

Illustration of person at desk writing

Job vacancies in Canberra are at record highs and under-employment is at a record low, and that’s not great news for employers.

The budget papers cite the lack of skilled workers as a significant risk to the economy. The COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have also led to shortages of a range of materials.

Nonetheless, consumer confidence in Canberra is high. Household spending and business investment are buoyant, too.

The current shortages are a challenge to businesses, but the ACT has more than its share of market opportunities to make up for that.

Neutral: Homebuyers

Illustration of piggy bank and money notes on ground.

The ACT is continuing to phase out stamp duty in favor of land taxes, which will make housing cheaper than it would otherwise be.

Stamp duty will fall this coming year for properties priced below $1.5 million.

The budget also details plans for 30,000 extra dwellings in Canberra over the next five years.

Nonetheless, that’s what’s needed to house the ACT’s growing population.

There’s no quick fix — at least, not in this budget — for the ongoing crisis in housing affordability and rental availability.

Winner: Schools

An illustration of a school hat on top of a pile of books.

Canberra is growing quickly, and the city needs either new or expanded schools to cope with the influx, particularly in northside suburbs.

This budget confirms funding for a new early childhood and primary school in Whitlam, as well as a new high school in Taylor.

Majura Primary, in Watson, and Margaret Hendry School, also in Taylor, will be expanded to take on more students.

The government has also set aside money to install shades, improve ventilation and hire more cleaners for schools across Canberra.

Loser: Gambling

It’s about getting a little harder to make a profit from gambling.

The ACT’s betting operations tax — paid by casinos and businesses that run pokies, lotteries or betting games — is rising from 15 to 20 per cent.

The government says the increase will improve both the economy and Canberrans’ wellbeing.

Winner: Recycling

Illustration of 3 arrows going around in a circle

It’ll cost 1.75 per cent more to dump household, business or industrial waste at the tip.

That’s on top of the usual increase that’s part of the government’s indexation for fees and charges.

Tip fees had been frozen during the pandemic, but the government says it wants people to try to recycle more and reduce their waste.

Loser: Fossil fuels

Illustration of pollution in the form of smoke

The ACT already buys enough renewable electricity to cover 100 per cent of what it uses.

The government is now focused on cutting fossil fuels used for heating and transport.

Government offices that use gas will switch to electricity, and poorer Canberrans will be funded to replace gas appliances and install insulation.

Canberra’s gas and diesel buses will be replaced, gradually, with electric ones.

This budget also begins to fund incentives for electric vehicles, such as free registration and exemption from stamp duty.

Last year, 5 per cent of new motor vehicles in the ACT were electric. The government wants that to be as high as 90 per cent by 2030.

Neutral: Healthcare

An illustration of a hospital bed.

Healthcare is the giant of every ACT budget, accounting for about 30 cents of every dollar spent.

This budget significantly increases health spending — mostly for the expansion of the Canberra Hospital and to buy new clinical equipment.

However, many of the ACT’s ongoing healthcare problems stem not from a lack of facilities but from the perennial challenge of recruiting skilled staff.

That problem will continue to hang over the health system, and will likely worsen as a result of the ACT’s tight labor market.

Winner: Visitors

Line drawing of people waiting for airplane.

The borders have reopened, which means the battle for tourists is on.

The ACT government is bolstering two annual drawcards — Floriade and Enlighten — to attract interstate visitors.

Money has also been set aside to help secure blockbuster art exhibitions.

The budget continues to fund the redevelopment and expansion of the Canberra Theater Centre, though that will take years to complete.

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