Anthony Albanese’s pre-Christmas salmon party to be served with Green wedge

The Greens are devising an election strategy to wedge Labor on salmon in seats nationally, as Anthony Albanese flies to a small Tasmanian town in a ‘risky’ move to placate aquaculture workers.

Anthony Albanese in Sorell to announce Rebecca White as Labor; s candidate for the federal Tasmanian seat of Lyons. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

The Greens are devising an election strategy to wedge Labor on salmon in seats nationally, as Anthony Albanese flies to a small Tasmanian town in a “risky” move to placate aquaculture workers.

The Prime Minister’s expected visit to Strahan in the key swing seat of Braddon on Saturday – to tour salmon pens on Macquarie Harbour and attend a Christmas BBQ – delivers on a promise to front locals before a decision is made on fish farms in the western waterway.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek is reconsidering 2012 environmental approval for aquaculture in the harbour after concerns – backed by scientific advice – that low water oxygen levels partly linked to fish farms are having a “catastrophic” impact on the endangered Maugean skate.

The PM was expected to arrive at the Strahan Golf Club Family Christmas Night without the decision industry and workers are sweating on, in a move seen by some Labor figures as risky and damaging.

There is growing frustration within the local community, industry and the state Labor Party that Mr Albanese and Ms Plibersek continue to stall a decision, a year after the minister began her review.

Greens strategists are planning to use the apparent standoff between Mr Albanese and Ms Plibersek on salmon to threaten Labor in key seats across Australia.

The focus includes southern Tasmanian seats Franklin and Clark, as well as Lyons, targeting disgruntled Labor voters, such as recreational fishers and coastal tree-changers, worried about salmon farm expansion in Storm Bay.

They will also target Labor-held, green-tinged inner-city mainland seats, including Ms Plibersek’s Sydney electorate, and Macnamara, Higgins, Wills and Cooper in Melbourne.

The Greens’ strategy raises the prospect of a “double whammy” for Labor on salmon in the absence of a pre-election decision.

This would see Labor lose blue-collar votes to the Liberals in seats such as Braddon and Lyons, and soft green voters to the Greens or teals in others.

“Driving an ancient species into extinction is going to play very badly for Labor around the country, and in particular in marginal inner-city electorates,” said Greens senator Nick McKim. “The environment is a vote-changing issue and we’ll be campaigning hard on extinction and nature in inner-city seats.

“You can’t outflank Dutton on his right and the PM trying to do that will lead to the extinction of the Maugean skate. Labor should remove all salmon farms from Macquarie Harbour and give the skate a fighting chance at survival.”

West Coast Mayor Shane Pitt welcomed the PM’s visit but made it clear locals wanted more than platitudes. “I’m confident that once the Prime Minister sees aquaculture on Macquarie Harbour for himself that he’ll make the right decision to keep the industry going,” Mr Pitt said.

“Wouldn’t it be a terrific opportunity for the Prime Minister to end the uncertainty before Christmas, so we can all celebrate knowing we have a future?”

Senior Labor figures believe the delay is cruelling the party’s chances of regaining Braddon from the Liberals, and could spark a wider, damaging blue-collar backlash in other seats.

The fallout is also hurting state Labor’s rebuild under pro-industry leader Dean Winter, who is personally lobbying Mr Albanese for an immediate decision allowing salmon farms to continue.

There is a strong push from Tasmanian Labor, the state Liberal government and industry for Ms Plibersek to reaffirm the harbour’s fish farms are a “non-controlled action” – not requiring a full environmental impact statement – subject to updated conditions on water oxygen levels.

Instead, industry fears Ms Plibersek will rule salmon farms a “controlled action”, and grant the industry a temporary exemption from environment laws while it prepares an EIS. It believes this would spark green lawfare, and reputational and brand damage.

Industry and the state government are frustrated proposals put to Ms Plibersek’s department months ago have been ignored. Ms Plibersek has said she will make a decision based on the best science and in accordance with federal law.