Fishing competitions have been made exempt from proposed new animal welfare laws and regulations, after a 2900-signature petition was submitted to the State Government last month.
Without the exemption, clubs and anglers faced fines up to $58,000 and $12,000 respectively under the new Animal Care and Protection Bill.
Shadow Minister for Agriculture Emma Kealy said fishing competitions were a time-honoured family tradition and must be preserved.
“This decision is a huge relief for fishing clubs and anglers across the state who rightly stood up against Labor’s draconian overreach to ban fishing competitions” Ms Kealy said.
