The Northern Territory Seafood Council (NTSC) and the Northern Territory Government (NTG) recognise the vital need to bridge the knowledge gap regarding the economic impact of the NT seafood industry. This gap severely impedes effective advocacy for industry growth and development by the NTSC and hampers evidence decision-making. Without a comprehensive understanding of the industry's economic footprint throughout the supply chain of each major fishery/sector, it is challenging to address critical issues and identify vulnerable points within the sector.

A whole of fishery and sector analysis, will provide essential insights for targeted advocacy and informed decision-making, fostering sustainable growth, enhancing resilience, and addressing critical issues within the Northern Territory's seafood industry.

Understanding the complete value of the NT seafood industry to the local community is crucial for making strategic decisions related to negotiations such as those concerning Blue Mud Bay and infrastructure investments. It will also contribute to ongoing investment in the industry.

The project aims to test economic protocols and processes identified in FRDC Project 2021-034 to establish cost-effective and valued systems beyond its duration. These systems will incorporate socio-economic information into decision-making processes and shift the culture from a government-driven collection process to one driven by the industry.

Without a plan to highlight the wider socio-economic value and benefits of the industry, the industry may face mounting pressure on its social license to operate, impacting access, industry structure, and fees. Moreover, the lack of understanding regarding the consequences of uncertainty surrounding secure access and potential loss of access for commercial fishers may have unintended effects on the NT seafood industry. Additionally, the limited availability of current financial and economic information for NT fisheries hampers economic analysis and the provision of advice to policymakers and decision-makers, hindering opportunities for growth and sustainability.

With that context in mind, NTSC experience to date identifies a number of known issues with existing data, including:
- Limitations in the scope of data available which has historically excluded measurement of the contributions made by commercial charter fishing, processing of imported seafood, and activities downstream of immediate seafood processing (i.e. transport to retail markets, retail sector activity).
- The poor quality of economic data (such as production, price and employment data) necessary to improve estimates of direct or initial effects from fishing, aquaculture production and processing in some fisheries and for some sub-sectors and seafood processing (where there is a need to further disaggregate ANZSIC categories or investigate alternative means of measurement for fisheries with too few licence holders for data to be reported).
- Gaps in data regarding indirect contributions, including downstream production-induced and consumption-induced effects, where key data regarding employment, household-income and enterprise-level cost of production (i.e. expenditure on goods and services as inputs to fishing and aquaculture production) are unknown.
- Gaps in data for a range of monetised and non-monetised social, environmental and cultural activities which contribute value to individuals and communities. While previous estimations have referred to the social contributions of fisheries and aquaculture to regional communities this has not involved any primary data collection or analysis of secondary data, requiring further work to select specific indicators and the basis of evidence.

In scoping and analysing the available data, the project will use third party providers to:
- Ensure data collection methods are consistent and participant consent and privacy is achieved. The privacy of participants must be protected through adherence to the Australian Privacy Principles in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), such that names of individuals are not recorded. Where the explicit informed consent of participants is required this may include a requirement to sign a consent form. Under circumstances where a vulnerable group is consulted, such as Indigenous Territorians, specific consent may be required from a Human Research Ethics Committee to ensure the data collection process causes no harm to participants.
- Ensure data storage is secure and access is limited to the reasonable requirements of the project. All digital data (i.e. from an online survey) would be stored on a secure network with file access restricted to the nominated project team through use of file encryption and passwords. Any primary data collected cannot be used for any purpose other than that required to meet study objectives.

The primary objective of this program is to measurably improve personal safety culture and outcomes in the Australian Seafood Industry through an industry led behavioural change approach underpinned by a national engagement process. Engagement will occur at all levels of industry to ensure that sustainable culture change is driven through shifts in core beliefs from leadership (top down) as well as grassroots and peer to peer (bottom up). Every person from owner to junior and even volunteers have a responsibility to keep themselves and each other safe. By leveraging and deepening existing relationships at all levels of industry, behaviours at every level will shift as a result of educational, experiential and peer to peer learning and influence.

The application is needed because current and traditional methods of improving safety are not working – people are still dying in our industry. Almost all effort in safety in our industry to date has been compliance driven and from the 'office' down. Compliance based activities, such as safety management systems remain an imperative part of a safe operation, but without the underlying values and behaviours that drive people’s desire to stay safe, to arrive home from work safely, systems and processes become checklists and box ticking. Other Industries and the Stay Afloat program have demonstrated that a culture-based approach to safety behaviour change is the most effective strategy - examples can be seen in high-risk settings such as construction through to linked industry bodies such as the South Australian Research and Development Institute. The Independent Evaluation of the Stay Afloat program indicated the potential strength of the peer-to-peer approach and also endorsed the centralised support and management structure that was utilised. A similar approach is being proposed for this project. Using peer-based education and intervention is key to facilitating and expediting this change.

This program will educate and engage industry members in exploring their beliefs and values and reflecting on how that relates to their work and their safety each day. The significance of the capacity and capability that will be built across our industry cannot be underestimated. The investment in the relationship with AMSA, through to the enormous impact of capacity building in local community over a 4-year period will change the game for our industry. Communities will have confidence that their families and friends will come home safely and that they will enjoy a workplace with vastly lower fears for their safety – physically and psychologically.

The collaborative approach will build capability, knowledge, confidence and resilience through a combination of activities based around minimising risk of incident and also risk of long-term physical and psychological harm.

The project will span 4 years and will be evaluated against a detailed program logic model. A program logic model enables the measurement or evaluation of qualitative and complex human behaviour related projects where quantitative measures may not be useful or achievable in terms of outcomes. The program logic model will measure short term, medium- and long-term indicators of the work being done to achieve outcomes as well as the outcomes themselves. We expect that by the end of Year 2, every industry member body and each of its members will have had initial exposure to the program with a goal of reaching 8,000 people in a meaningful way over the course of the program.

Year 1 – Establish and consolidate industry collaborators, partnerships and steering/advisory groups – set 4-year calendar for consultation and discussion to ensure best practice collaboration and consultation for life of project. Develop terms of reference for Steering Committee to ensure appropriate oversight, governance and contribution to project.
- Establish program logic and project evaluation models which will be core activities
- Finalise project plan ensuring alignments to program logic and evaluation framework
- Establish relevant program policies, guidelines and tools
- Establish program risk register (aligned with the FRDC online risk register) and stakeholder feedback mechanisms.
- Establish program performance and conflict management policy and procedure

Year 1 – Establishment of industry networks made up of two types of influencers
- Peak/industry leaders to act as ‘enablers’ to link us to and encourage forums for conversation, education and consultation. To assist in identification and introductions to grassroots industry members
- Grassroots Safety Advocates – Grass roots in this instance referring to all operational and hands on industry members from supervisors and skippers to deck hands and labourers. These people will be the centre of the peer-to-peer learning, storytelling and ultimately education and influence. They will also be key to the continuing identification of Safety Advocates in industry.
Year 1 – Collect information and extend education tools through online and face-to-face forums
Year 1 – Develop and continually refine a robust communications and extension plan
Year 1 – Launch first industry initiative (eg, Personal E-perb targets)
Year 2 – Full integration of Fish Safe Australia and SeSAFE activities into this program
Year 2 – Expand network of Safety Advocates
Year 2 – Expand and increase uptake of education, storytelling and example sharing
Year 2 – Complete first industry initiative (eg, Personal E-perb targets) and consult with industry on next initiative for greatest impact
Year 2 – Commence promoting short- and medium-term outcomes in early adopting communities
Year 3 – Continue narrative based and other behaviour change activities
Year 3 – Second industry initiative rolled out
Year 4 – Establish methods for continuation of culture of safety activities to be led by industry
Year 4 – Identify the role of potential sponsors for ongoing leadership
Year 4 - Consultation with AMSA and other industry bodies to refine and set strategic safety direction for industry

Industry members from managers to junior staff will influence one-another through narrative, stories and other means to effect behavioural change that reduces risk-taking behaviours - even when no-one is looking. The channels for sharing this narrative and gradual shift in beliefs will be twofold. Firstly, through day-to-day interaction and information sharing that is promoted through the various program elements including the Safety Advocates. These activities will be captured through monthly activity reporting to be designed as part of the program logic and evaluation planning on project kick off. Secondly through the use of the Sensemaker platform which collects narrative and sentiment in a way that also enables users to review the stories and experiences of others. In simple terms industry members will learn from the experience of peers.

As outlined in the project plan, quarterly meetings will be held for the duration of the program to report, review and collaborate with key partners and stakeholders ensuring that the program is maximising reach and impact as well as ensuring that the potential of partners and sponsors to maximise program communications and activities is leveraged. Reporting measures will be finalised with the assistance of expert consultant(s) familiar with program logic design and evaluation.

A robust communications and extension plan will ensure maximum program awareness and uptake of initiatives and training.