If you are so concerned pick up a copy of Fisheries Victoria Management Report Series
beurocracy, admin and all the paperwork in between
, wages needs to be paid for.
well thats capitalism for you..
Im not sure where you have gotten your facts from and if the numbers are correct mate but if they are, it is not uncommon for a goverment department to hold onto some of its funding to save for future projects. Just because your $25 dollars isnt being spent this year directly on facilties doesnt mean some fat cat is lining his pockets. Whether it is spent on expanding the fisheries department, facilities, policing, education (ie. the thousands of rulers and rec fishing books they must hand out) its all working towards the same goal.
Really $25 annually (or less if you are only going to dive in summer) is nothing. As one person said he spends double that on petrol to get to a dive site. I am happy with the job the fisheries are doing, the only thing i would change is introducing a more extensive list of fish with photographs (instead of drawings) found in our waters to educate beginners or interstate divers.
and you would think they would give you plastic licenses