SA Liberal leader Vincent Tarzia echoes David Speirs in $30m algal bloom reef rescue plan

The Liberals are unveiling a plan to restore shellfish reefs from algal bloom devastation, which has a striking similarity to their former leader’s manifesto.

Liberal leader Vincent Tarzia will unveil a $30m plan to combat the devastating algal bloom by restoring shellfish reefs, echoing a manifesto unveiled a fortnight earlier by his predecessor, David Speirs.

Releasing the first step of a Save our Seas plan on Sunday, Mr Tarzia will commit a Liberal government to restoring 50ha of coastal limestone shellfish reefs, in a long-term project to bring them to pre-20th century levels.

Declaring the ravaged oceans “need bold, practical solutions to restore their health”, Mr Tarzia will urge the federal government to immediately fund 200ha of shellfish reef restoration, as part of a $500m fund recommended by a Senate inquiry released on Tuesday.

The Liberals say their $30m reef restoration plan “aligns with recommendations” from the federal inquiry, but it also partly echoes Mr Speirs’ nine-point “Ideas for recovery” algal bloom manifesto released on November 2.

The-then opposition leader David Speirs (left) in August, 2023, with the-then Liberal transport and infrastructure spokesman Vincent Tarzia. Picture: Russell Millard Photography

The third point of Mr Speirs’ plan is “rebuilding native shellfish reefs”, which targets restoring 500ha by 2035 to “create habitat supporting diverse marine communities” and “rebuild natural water filtration capacity”.

Mr Tarzia is touting his plan, ahead of next March’s state election, as a “generational marine restoration project to naturally clean our oceans and rebuild ecosystems”.

“This includes giving community groups incentives to re-establish 50ha of additional shellfish reefs in South Australia. This will boost jobs, remove nitrogen, accelerate fish stock recovery and filter millions of litres of seawater each day,” Mr Tarzia said.

“Restored reefs go further than simply attracting fish as regular artificial reefs do, they re-establish a whole ecosystem with complex food webs, and are much more efficient at boosting fish stocks, which is exactly what’s needed due to the devastating algal bloom.”

Opposition Leader Vincent Tarzia at the Dalrymple Hotel in Stansbury on Yorke Peninsula in July. Picture Ben Clark

The Liberals say their project “forms part of a long-term target to restore reef areas to what they were before impacts of historical overharvesting and human extraction during the 20th century”.

A $102.5m state and federal government algal bloom summer plan, released on October 14, includes $20.6m for environmental measures, such as large-scale native oyster reef restoration and community shellfish reef restoration.

The Liberals are touting a “record of success when it comes to restoring marine habitats”, citing the former Marshall government funding a $1.2m shellfish reef off the Glenelg North coast.

Mr Speirs, who was environment and water minister from 2018-22 in the Marshall government, also cites the Glenelg North reef in his manifesto, saying it is among projects that have “demonstrated the viability and benefits of shellfish reef restoration in South Australian waters”.

The Liberals, who attacked the Malinauskas government’s handling of the algal bloom throughout last week’s parliamentary sittings, say only they “have a long-term vision for saving our seas and waterways”, having in October released a $10.5m plan to restock and revive freshwater fishing spots.

Originally published as SA Liberal leader Vincent Tarzia echoes David Speirs in $30m algal bloom reef rescue plan