Ms BADGER question to PREMIER, Mr ROCKLIFF
Our beaches across southern Tasmania are presently unusable and the EPA is deliberately ill‑equipped to rein in the salmon farming industry or hold them adequately accountable, yet expansion is still planned for Storm Bay. This is rightfully concerning for the community and I acknowledge those community members who are here with us today.
Last week you claimed the salmon industry is ‘on notice’. It is time to put your money where your mouth is. Given the massive industry failures, the loss of amenity, harm to the marine environment and gross animal cruelty, will you scrap the planned Storm Bay leases?
ANSWER
Honourable Speaker, I thank the member for her question. I acknowledge the community concern, acknowledging that some members of the community, and particularly the Greens, have never liked the salmon industry and have always wanted to shut it down, along with it sending many thousands of people to the dole queues, which we will not have.
I take issue with the member’s question, which, if I paraphrase it from memory, criticised the independent EPA for deliberately not doing their job effectively.
Members interjecting.
Dr Woodruff – You wrote the legislation.
The SPEAKER – Order, Leader of the Greens.
Mr ROCKLIFF – I take issue with that because I have a lot of confidence in the EPA to do their job. We set up the EPA to do their job independently from government.
As I have said a few times in the Chamber, the reforms we made over the last decade have put greater accountability and greater transparency on the salmon industry in terms of monitoring, in terms of marine debris compliance and in terms of separation of the EPA from the Department of Primary Industries and Water. If I can paint that picture, it is now NRE Tas (Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania), the government responsible and the department responsible who, in your regime of the Labor‑Greens government, we had the Department of Primary Industries both supporting the growth of the sector but also regulating and monitoring as well.
Ms BADGER – Point of order, Speaker, Standing Order 45, relevance. We are talking about the expansion and Storm Bay leases. The question is not about the EPA.
The SPEAKER – The preamble to your question certainly referenced the EPA and your issues and concerns there, but the actual question was specifically about Storm Bay. With less than a minute ago. I will draw the Premier to that part of it.
Mr ROCKLIFF – The salmon industry has plans for expansion, as we know, back into deeper waters off the coast. The inland waters have been some challenge.
Dr Woodruff interjecting.
Mr ROCKLIFF – You are laughing again. Okay.
Dr Woodruff – Well, it is not where they are going.
Mr ROCKLIFF – We support measured growth in the industry. There is enormous rigour around that growth and enormous community consultation as well.
The SPEAKER – The Premier’s time for answering the question has expired.
