Thirty years ago, as a teacher, I stood in front of a group of trawlermen. They were uncomfortable in a classroom, forced there by new government legislation to upgrade tickets of competency. They had little education, felt uneasy in the city and certainly out of place in a college.
I was the first instructor appointed to the Fisheries and Marine Division of TAFE. With much trepidation, I introduced the topic for the day, "Crossing a bar with safety".
"What would you know about crossing a @#** ing bar?" said the grizzled old bastard in the front row.
"Stand off" or "tipping point", I think, is the descriptive term used today. If I went one way, the fishermen would walk out, if I went the other I would lose control of the group. Either way the course was finished.
Fortunately, I had crossed a few bars in yachts and navy ships and I had worked with navy and fishing crews.
"Not a lot", I shot back at the grizzled one, "but you do. And, the guy up the back crosses the Wide Bay bar every day and that bar is a lot different to the one you work. All these guys cross bars and if you can pick up one hint from half of them it might make your job a bit easier and a lot safer".
There was about thirty seconds of deafening silence and then they got into it. The college principal warned us to keep the noise down and we adjourned to the parking lot when our classroom time was up.
It was one the most rewarding teaching experiences I have ever had and years later, the fishermen would approach me on the wharf and recall the class.
Today, if a fourth generation fisherman approached the AFMA Commissioners with a similar query: "Have you ever bent over a sorting tray for 20 hours without a break? Risked your life and your livelihood to rescue, unasked and unaided, a yachtie? Stopped your income flow to report or clean up an environmental problem? Provided food to the community with minimal profit or thanks? Been saddled with onerous regulations and costs which just about stop my work?"
Is there one AFMA Commissioner that could answer this fishermen in a way that would show respect for both parties and address the scope of the problem?
With practically no practical experience evident in the Commission, the answer would most likely be: "The computer says", or, "the regulations stipulate", or "you'll have to go through your representative", or, most likely, "I'll have to get back to you".
It is a very sad situation.