AFMA’s compliance passes test

The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) has undertaken an independent performance audit of the effectiveness of AFMA’s administration of their domestic fishing compliance program. The report noted that 320 Commonwealth licensed vessels land in 75 ports around Australia. In 2011-12 the compliance program conducted 222 vessel and fish receiver inspections with 32% of vessels inspected at least once. The report concluded that AFMA has developed and implemented effective arrangements that aim to reduce or eliminate compliance risks based on compliance intelligence and a documented risk assessment framework. The report found that AFMA’s compliance adhered to Australian Government Investigations Standards. The report recommended that AFMA should set and measure targets across all compliance risks and activities.