Salmon on political menu as Tasmanian Greens target historic Senate election result

Greens Senator Nick McKim is confident his party can leverage growing Tasmanian community sentiment against industrial salmon farming to make history at the upcoming federal election.

Senator Nick McKim with fellow candidates at the Tasmanian Greens 2025 federal election campaign launch in Hobart. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Federal Greens parliamentarian Nick McKim is confident his party can leverage growing community sentiment opposing industrial salmon farming in Tasmania to make political history at the upcoming half-Senate election.

Speaking at the launch of the Greens federal election campaign at Hobart’s Botanical Gardens on Saturday, Senator McKim said the party had never had more MPs in parliaments across Australia, and was looking to “shake the foundations” in Canberra at an election expected in May.

Alistair Allan Greens candidate for Lyons. Tasmanian Greens 2025 federal election campaign launch in Hobart. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Mr McKim, who is facing his third re-election battle after wins in 2016 and 2019, said the climate was right for Greens senate candidate Vanessa Bleyer to join him in the federal upper house.

“Our primary goal at this election is to win two Senate seats,” Mr McKim said.

“That is absolutely achievable, and we have a fantastic number two candidate in Vanessa Bleyer, an environmental lawyer, who would be an awesome senator.

“We are campaigning to make Australian political history by electing two Greens … at the one half Senate election, which has never been done before.

“When you can’t swim at your local beach without bumping into a stinking rotten salmon carcass … these are issues that are being felt right across the community and people rising up because they are sick of big corporates destroying our environment.”

Bob Brown former Greens leader. Tasmanian Greens 2025 federal election campaign launch in Hobart. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

The Greens have also included candidates Scott Jordan and Trenton Hoare on its Senate ticket, while Janet Shelley (Clark), Owen Fitzgerald (Franklin) Alistair Allan (Lyons), Charlene McLennan (Bass), and Erin Morrow (Braddon) will compete for Tasmania’s five House of Representatives seats.

Mr Allan said an increasing number of Tasmanians felt that major parties had failed them, citing Labor and the Coalition’s bipartisan approach to enacting legislation that would protect the salmon industry in Macquarie Harbour.

“It was only a few short weeks ago that I stood on the beach in my local hometown in Dodges Ferry with 2000 other people chanting on the beach to keep fish farms out of Storm Bay,” he said.

“People have now seen the cruelty and the absolute heinous pollution that this industry causes.

“The industry’s chance of a social license is gone.

“But Liberal and Labor continue to run cover for these huge foreign corporations that have destroyed our waterways, I think the public has well and truly had enough.”

Originally published as Salmon on political menu as Tasmanian Greens target historic Senate election result