Fisheries Management Act 1994

A participant in a restricted fishery must pay to the Minister a contribution towards one or more of the following—

the costs of taking measures to enhance, maintain or protect the effective management of commercial fishing,

the costs of carrying out research into commercial fishing,

the costs of management and administration of commercial fishing,

the costs of ensuring compliance with commercial fishing regulatory controls,

the costs of consultative arrangements with commercial fishers.

For the purposes of this section, a participant in a restricted fishery means—

a person who has an endorsement on his or her commercial fishing licence that authorises the person to take fish for sale in the restricted fishery, or

the owner of a fishing business of which the endorsement is a component.

The Minister may, subject to this section, determine the contribution payable by participants in a restricted fishery under this section.

The contribution is to be such amount as the Minister considers necessary to meet the costs referred to in subsection (1).

The contribution is not to exceed the amount prescribed by the regulations.

The contribution is payable annually or as otherwise determined by the Minister.

The Minister may authorise the payment of a contribution under this section by instalments.

If a contribution, or an instalment of a contribution, is unpaid after the due date for its payment, the Minister may charge interest on the overdue amount at the rate payable from time to time in respect of judgments of the Supreme Court or, if some other rate is prescribed by the regulations, that rate.

Interest may be charged for each day that has elapsed between the date on which payment is due and the date of payment.

Interest charged on an overdue contribution, or instalment of a contribution, under subsection (5) is taken to be part of the contribution.