Dr. Rick Officer:

There are many paths to dissecting the Deputy's question. In regard to the number of appropriate assessment applications that are before the institute, the apparent number of site applications is elevated because these assessments are actually done, particularly for shellfish, on a bay-wide basis rather than on a site-specific basis. For example, in the current bay-wide collective assessment of shellfish applications in Castlemaine, there are 87 sites that we currently recognise within that one application. Hence the elevated number. When we consider that and do our assessments on a bay-wide basis, we are down to about 61 priorities. These priorities are negotiated with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine's aquaculture and foreshore management division. We operate on a priority assigned by that Department and directed to the institute.

The other element of the question is around the time taken to complete an appropriate assessment. To be aware, five reports are currently required in reviewing an aquaculture license. The first element is the appropriate assessment. The time taken to do that will vary on the complexity. For intensive finfish aquaculture, it will take longer. Generally, the first element of the screening will screen in for full appropriate assessment. We also-----