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Fish market needs emergency rescueVictoria could lose its wholesale fish market by January, the Member for Eastern Victoria, Philip Davis, told State Parliament. By Kevin Balshaw - 11th March 2010 - Back to News Victoria could lose its wholesale fish market by January, the Member for Eastern Victoria, Philip Davis, told State Parliament.
Mr Davis said the withdrawal of a number of key wholesale agents from a planned new market development at Brooklyn had cast doubt that the Melbourne Wholesale Fish Market would exist beyond the end of this year.
With agents pulling out of the proposed new market project in a domino effect, he said a meeting of the market tenants March 9 concluded there was virtually no prospect of the new development proceeding.
He called on Premier John Brumby to work with the Victorian fishing industry and agents at the wholesale market to assist in resolving the question of the market’s future.
The Premier is required to table a written response in Parliament within 30 days.
Mr Davis said the market had operated more than half a century, in the main at its present site in Footscray, and had long served as the largest and most influential market for fish in Australia.
"A Government agency VicTrack is finalising the take over of the market site after its former owner, the City of Melbourne, decided to divest itself of that interest," he said.
"The fish market was not seen as a core business of the city, and there was the consideration that the site would serve a better purpose if it was devoted to activity allied to the expanding Port of Melbourne precinct.
"Pending completion of the sale to VicTrack at the end of next January, the city has presented firms operating at the market with a new lease containing a clause that requires them to vacate the market by January.
"Market tenants have been negotiating with a developer to relocate into a new building at Brooklyn. But two of the major wholesalers withdrew on the basis of tenancy costs associated with the new location, another has withdrawn in recent days, and I understand a meeting of market tenants earlier today concluded there is virtually no prospect of the new development proceeding."
Mr Davis said until recently there had been considerable optimism around the proposal. A meeting of the fishing industry at Lakes Entrance was held only a fortnight ago to discuss capital raising to finance the fit-out of the new market sites for the tenants.
"The City of Melbourne’s position is understandable," Mr Davis said. "But the Government has hung the fishing industry out to dry, despite its involvement in the wholesale fruit and vegetable market project at Epping and the fact one of its own agencies is buying the existing fish market site.
"The Minister for Agriculture, who generally has responsibility for fisheries, last year indicated the Government would offer space at Epping for the fish market, although the industry assessed the site as being unsatisfactory.
"The minister has abrogated the Government’s responsibility for the fish market, but it has come to a critical point at which government intervention is essential if the market is to continue, and I believe this should be at the highest level."
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: kevin.balshaw@parliament.vic.gov.au
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