DiCaprio in fresh Albo attack amid pollie’s bizarre fish stunt

Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio has again weighed in on a controversial Aussie issue, as a dead fish stunt causes chaos in Parliament. See the video.

Leonardo DiCaprio has again weighed in on an Australian environmental issue, urging the Albanese government to “shut down” industrial salmon farms in Tasmania after they were linked to the decline of an endangered fish.

The Oscar winner, known for his environmentalism, asked his 80 million followers on social media to support the Maugean skate.

The endangered ray, which is found only in Tasmania, may soon become the world’s first marine fish extinction, according to the Australian Marine Conservation Society .

Leonardo DiCaprio has posted about Tasmania ’s salmon farms. Picture: Getty Images

DiCaprio’s post came as Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young disrupted the Senate by holding up a dead salmon in bizarre scenes during a debate over laws that will prolong the salmon farming industry in Tasmania.

The Senator carried out the stunt in Canberra as she grilled Labor over a bill she argued threatened the endangered Maugean skate.

Senator Sarah Hanson-Young holds up a dead salmon during Senate proceedings.

“On the eve of the election, have you sold out your environment credentials for a rotten, stinking, extinction salmon?” she said.

The act disrupted the debate before the President of the Senate told Senator Hanson-Young to remove her “prop”.

In his post, DiCaprio called for the closure of “industrial non-native salmon farms” in Tasmania.

“This week the Australian government will decide the fate of Macquarie Harbour and has an opportunity to shut down destructive industrial non-native salmon farms, protecting the Maugean Skate,” he wrote on social media.

“This shallow estuary off the Tasmanian coast is one of the most important places in the world - now designated as a (Key Biodiversity Area) — which means it’s essential for the planet’s overall health and the persistence of biodiversity.

“Help save the Maugean Skate... and prevent the extinction of this unique species and protect this wilderness from destruction.”

Leonardo DiCaprio has weighed in to condemn the Albanese government. Picture: AFP

The star’s post came just weeks after he slammed the Albanese government for giving the green light to the expansion of forest mining activities in Western Australia’s Northern Jarrah Forest.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek last month approved mining company South32’s bid to expand its Worsley Alumina bauxite mine near Boddington, southeast of Perth, in a move that has devastated environmentalists.

In a lengthy post, DiCaprio blasted the Albanese government’s decision.

“The Australian government has approved deforestation within the Jarrah Forest of Western Australia, clearing the way for the mining of bauxite, the main ingredient in aluminum (sic),” he wrote.  

“The mining company @south_32 is set to clear 9,600 acres of this old growth forest, which is home to threatened species like the Critically Endangered Woylie,” the 50-year-old, well-known for his environmental activism, continued.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

“This operation will destroy critical habitat for over 8,000 species, 80 per cent of which are found nowhere else on Earth.

“While native forest logging was banned in Western Australia in 2024, clearance of native forests for mining is still allowed due to separate government policies that prioritise mining development over environmental protection.

“This new approval is in addition to South32’s previous deforestation, bringing the total area of Jarrah Forests cleared to over 38,000 acres. @rewild and @wild.ark stand to protect these towering ecosystems that are already at risk of climate change.”

However, mining company South32 has fired back, saying DiCaprio’s post contained factual errors, including an inaccurate reference to “old growth forest being cleared”.

The company said the project would be undertaken with conditions that seek to minimise impacts on animals such as the woylie. Picture: Australian Wildlife Conservancy

“The post contains factual errors. For example, our proposal does not include clearing of old growth forest, and the WA Environment Minister’s Ministerial Statement explicitly states that old growth forest is not to be disturbed by our proposal,” a spokesperson for South32 said.

“The Worsley Mine Development Project will be undertaken in accordance with strict approval conditions that seek to avoid or minimise impacts to habitats of species, including the Black Cockatoo, to support their ongoing viability.”

The spokesperson said that since the original proposal, the company had significantly reduced the amount of native vegetation that would be cleared as part of the project, to further avoid and minimise impacts to the environment.

“Within the areas that we have received approval to mine, protected areas and buffer zones will be implemented around known habitats of certain protected species and we will undertake (or have already undertaken) targeted flora and fauna surveys and monitoring as required by our approvals, the spokesperson said.

“In accordance with our approval conditions, we will progressively rehabilitate land we clear through our operations, helping to re-establish flora and fauna habitat. In addition, nearly 8,000 hectares of land will be set aside and restored to create additional habitat for species including the Black Cockatoo, as part of our total 12,300 hectare offsets package.”

Mereana Lewis, co-founder of Locals for Environmental Action and Protection (LEAP), last month told the ABC she felt betrayed by the decision.

“We did put our trust in Minister Plibersek,” she said at the time. “We had so much information which we gave to the ministry, and we feel that no-one has taken any notice of our concern.”

DiCaprio has previously weighed in on Australian environmental issues, once criticising former PM Tony Abbott’s lack of protection of  the Great Barrier Reef.

“What once had looked like an endless underwater utopia is now riddled with bleached coral reefs and massive dead zones,” the star said at a dinner in Washington DC, in 2014. 

Originally published as DiCaprio in fresh Albo attack amid pollie’s bizarre fish stunt