Anthony Albanese picks candidates, backs big salmon to win marginal Tasmanian seats
Anthony Albanese seeks to shore up Tasmanian seats but is accused of pre-empting Tanya Plibersek by throwing cash and compliments at the salmon industry and of hand-picking ‘recycled’ candidates.
Anthony Albanese has sought to shore up Labor’s prospects in Tasmanian marginal seats, announcing two high-profile candidates and backing in the controversial salmon industry.
The Prime Minister confirmed former state Labor leader Rebecca White would seek to switch to the federal seat of Lyons at next year’s general election.
Mr Albanese also confirmed widespread speculation that Labor senator Anne Urquhart would seek to switch to the seat of Braddon, in Tasmania’s northwest.
“I’ve encouraged both of them to run because I want the strongest possible team,” he said.
Ms White denied she had “blood on her hands”, given that sitting Lyons MP Brian Mitchell – while backing Ms White – had originally flagged a desire to recontest the seat.
Mr Albanese made no apologies for the treatment of Mr Mitchell, who won the sprawling, largely rural and partly urban fringe seat in 2016 and held it in 2019 and 2022.
He confirmed Labor saw Tasmania as a key election battleground, with the party seeking to retain Lyons with just a .9 per cent margin and take northern Bass and western Braddon from the Liberals.
“Braddon is very much on our target list, as of course will Bass be,” Mr Albanese said.
He said Senator Urquhart was already “the de facto member for Braddon” and Ms White an “incredible” candidate with cabinet potential.
“My job is to make sure that you have that regeneration so you get a better and better team,” he said. However, the Liberals said it was more like recycling than renewal.
Ms White, 41, has been a state MP for 14 years and led state Labor to three consecutive election failures, while Senator Urquhart, 67, has been a senator for the same period.
Mr Mitchell said he “fully supported” the ALP’s right to “support the candidate of its choosing” and the handover to Ms White had been “professional, courteous and mature”.
Mr Albanese announced $150m for Tasmania’s Great South East Irrigation Scheme, matching a Coalition commitment, and $28m for measures to boost water quality and conditions in Macquarie Harbour on the state’s west coast.
Of the latter, $21m is to pump oxygen into the harbour, in large part to reduce the impact of salmon farming on the endangered Maugean skate, in the wake of scientific advice that the industry is having a “catastrophic” impact on the rare fish.
Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek is reconsidering federal approvals for fish pens in the harbour, with industry warning hundreds of jobs are on the line in Braddon and beyond.
Mr Albanese refused to rule out a reduction of salmon pens in the harbour, saying he could not interfere in a decision that was legally one for Ms Plibersek alone.
However, he appeared to pre-empt it, describing the salmon industry as “the backbone of many regional communities”. “It’s essential we support the thousands of jobs it creates right across the state,” he said.
“To do know that it’s essential we have a sustainable industry, which supports workers and the environment. That’s exactly what this (oxygenation funding) will help to do.”
The Greens said it was case of “politics triumphing over science”.
“This is the strongest signal yet that the government has no intention of protecting the Maugean skate from extinction by ending salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour,” Greens senator Nick McKim said.
Industry-backers, including West Coast mayor Shane Pitt, however, said the Prime Minister’s funding and words were “all worth nothing” without an end to Ms Plibersek’s review.
“It makes no sense whatsoever to provide funding for three years for science-based projects in Macquarie Harbour while the uncertainty of the … review, which could end the industry tomorrow, remains,” Mr Pitt said.
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