New South Wales (NSW) Fisheries Minister Dugald Saunders just went on record yet again, saying he needs to know what the community thinks about shark nets before removing them.

This is downright deceitful and disrespectful to the community. He knows perfectly well that the community doesn't want these death nets. But let's tell him again, by tweet or by email (or both).

Our petition alone, which is almost entirely Australian signatures, and has tens of thousands from NSW, was recently tabled in NSW parliament by MP Emma Hurst - and ignored by Dugald Saunders.

His own department commissions regular studies, like this one from 2017, and this one from 2021, and the sentiment is always overwhelming.

Here are just a few quotes:

"People overwhelmingly would prefer to coexist with sharks (‘it’s their ocean’). They don’t want sharks harmed or killed."

"People prefer mitigation of risk and harm from sharks that is non-lethal to sharks and other marine life. There is very strong support for developing and trialling non-lethal technologies, devices and other innovations to replace traditional nets."

"Shark nets have been the most contentious element of shark management. Online sentiment about nets was by far more voluminous, negative, fervent and hostile than it was about other approaches to shark management. People in focus groups often said they did not accept current justifications for using nets."

"Shark Nets are no longer suitable as a shark bite risk mitigation measure due to their inability to protect ocean-users, the impact on marine wildlife and their resultant unpopularity. Alternative measures can actually reduce the risk via detection (drone surveillance) and deterrence (personal shark deterrents, SMART drumlines, etc.) without the cost to marine wildlife.”

And that's just the beginning. The 2017 report cited above, marked shark nets and shark culling in the "discontinue or avoid category".

So, when will the lies stop, and when will the action to discontinue shark nets start?