FISHERIES Minister Mark Furner has called out Oodgeroo MP Mark Robinson, accusing him of making up claims that the state government was secretly planning to introduce a tax for recreational and commercial fishers.
Mr Robinson said on Tuesday that he would die in the ditches to stop a tax after it was reported in a Courier-Mail opinion column that boaties might be slugged with license fees to fish at places like Redland Bay and North Stradbroke Island if native land rights were extended.
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"We are facing the biggest economic crisis of our lifetime and Labor is dreaming about new taxes," he said.
"Labor are always looking to slug fishers and boaties, whether by hikes in boat registrations or this new fishing tax. Their priorities are all wrong."
Mr Furner said there was no fishing tax in the works and Mr Robinson had been caught out making false claims in an attempt to frighten recreational boaties.
"Queenslanders deserve better than an opposition MP that simply makes things up then promises to 'die in the ditches' to stop them from happening," he said.
"Anybody who claims that the Palaszczuk government is introducing a fishing tax is not telling the truth.
"These shameless whopper stories from the LNP, with zero evidence behind them, demonstrate why the opposition is not fit to be elected in Queensland."
Mr Robinson had claimed that the tax would hurt people who wanted to wet a line, while the impact on commercial fishers would lead to higher seafood prices.
"I fought and won against Labor's snapper tax some years ago and I'm up for the fight again now," he said.
"The LNP has consistently opposed a fishing tax as we are the party of no new taxes. Only Labor has a plan to slug Redlands Coast boaties and fishers with new taxes."
It comes as Redlands LNP candidate Henry Pike called on the government to waive statutory fees for local commercial fishers who were facing ruin due to COVID-19 and the re-emergence of white spot disease in Moreton Bay.
"We've seen a total collapse in demand, no income and massive job losses," he said.
"In New South Wales commercial fishers are enjoying a total fee waiver which is giving them some reprieve from their financial pressures.
"If the Labor government fails to act, there may not be a local commercial fishing industry left by the time we get out of this crisis."
Mr Furner said claims fishers had not received state government support were as unfounded as rumours of a new fishing tax.
"The Palaszczuk government moved quickly to declare this industry essential and was the first in the nation to provide assistance to export-impacted commercial fishers," Mr Furner said.
"The industry assistance package included $660,000 in commercial fishing licence waivers, providing six months of relief for approximately 1100 commercial fishers."
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