The longest-serving Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol (QBFP) Officers have welcomed a new generation of recruits to Parliament House on their induction day.
The fisheries compliance officers are part of a new intake under the Queensland Government’s $20 million Sustainable Fisheries Strategy 2017-2020.
Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said the inductees included three Indigenous officers and an Asian liaison officer.
“This diversity recognises that the QBFP works with fishers from many backgrounds and sometimes requires specialist cultural and language skills,” Mr Furner said.
“The new recruits will be based around our state, from Weipa in the far north all the way down to Redlands in the south east.
“Among them we have the son of a currently serving officer, and the brother of a currently serving officer whose father was also a member of QBFP, making ours a truly multi-generational force.
“Today we are also paying tribute to some of our longest-serving staff with five officers who commenced with QBFP in 1989 and another who has been with the Patrol for 37 years.
“In an era when people tend to highly mobile moving between different jobs and career paths, it’s gratifying to see members of the public service who are so passionate about their work they make it a lifelong pursuit.”
