Anthony Albanese writes to salmon industry promising law change to protect Macquarie Harbour farms

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has written to Tasmania’s salmon farming industry, promising the government will introduce laws to guarantee its future in Macquarie Harbour.

Transcript

00:00With an election just months or weeks away, salmon farming posed as a defining issue for Tasmania.

00:10I am absolutely over the moon that we now have a position whereby we will continue to have jobs on Macquarie Harbour,

00:18we will have an environmentally sustainable salmon industry.

00:21The industry's future there had been uncertain, with Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek

00:26considering whether to review the sector's approvals because of its impact on the endangered Morgean skate.

00:33Today, the Prime Minister has written to the salmon industry, promising to introduce legislation

00:39to guarantee salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour can continue.

00:43We've got a commitment from the opposition and the government to review a broken piece of legislation

00:48to end a process that's causing tremendous uncertainty for everyone on the west coast.

00:52On recent trips to Tasmania, the PM has faced criticism from environmentalists

00:58and from those siding with the salmon industry.

01:03A problem that could have plagued Labor's bid to reclaim the seat of Braddon and hold Lyons,

01:09two critical seats in the upcoming election campaign.

01:12And the PM has been dragged kicking and screaming, trying to kill off this political issue for him.

01:17He won't do what he says in that letter, and if he was going to, we'd see the legislation today,

01:22but I guarantee you we won't.

01:23This is an outrageous siding with the profits of foreign industrial salmon farming corporations

01:30over the marine health of Macquarie Harbour.

01:32The PM's letter to the salmon industry doesn't say when the legislation will be introduced,

01:37or how it would work.

01:39Well that's something that the drafters would do, but obviously what it will do is it will legislate

01:44to ensure that jobs remain in Macquarie Harbour.

01:48The issue of salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour has become entwined with the future of the Morgean skate,

01:53which is endemic to the area.

01:55Minister Plibersek is also determining whether to increase its threatened species status

02:00to critically endangered.

02:02Today's announcement comes as new research prompts cautious optimism

02:06that the skate's population is improving.

02:09Let's celebrate that this is a good sign, but understand that we need to keep going.

Category

Transcript

Recommended