Delaying Tanya Plibersek unites salmon farming foes

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has managed to unite all sides of the divisive salmon farming debate – on what they see as her failure to do her job. The minister argues she’s just following due process; some claim she’s election-focused.

Tassal salmon farm sea pens at Roberts Point on Bruny Island, Tasmania. Picture: Peter Mathew

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Tanya Plibersek has united all sides in the salmon debate – with fish farmers and conservationists alike accusing her of abrogating her duty by delaying a key decision until after the federal election.

The federal Environment Minister on Tuesday confirmed she would delay by 12 months a decision on whether to “up-list” the endangered, rare Maugean skate – found only in Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour – to “critically endangered”.

There is concern on all sides of the salmon farm debate that the delay could be used as “cover” to put off an even more contentious pending decision: whether to curtail salmon farming in the harbour.

No stakeholder wants this key approvals decision delayed until after the election, fearing such a move is being considered by Labor to give it a chance of winning back the marginal, western Tasmanian seat of Braddon.

Any major wind-back of salmon farming would spark a local war over jobs, playing into the Coalition’s narrative that Labor has abandoned blue collar workers for inner-city elites.

This has proved particularly successful in regional Braddon in the past over forestry and off-road vehicle rights. Some within Labor believe the party will fail to secure a good candidate for the seat – let alone wrestle it back from the Liberals – if Ms Plibersek alienates blue collar voters over salmon farms.

There are concerns within the party the salmon issue could also hinder Labor’s prospects of regaining marginal Bass from Liberal incumbent Bridget Archer, and of retaining Lyons, where ALP federal office plans to parachute in a former state leader to sandbag its .9 per cent margin.

The government is reviewing 2012 approvals for fish pens after receiving scientific advice that waste and oxygen depletion linked to salmon farms are having “catastrophic” impacts on the skate.

Anti-salmon farm protesters rally against industrial feedlots in Tasmania's D'Entrecasteaux channel. Picture: Amy Brown

However, the $1.46 billion salmon industry warns any significant reduction of stocking levels would devastate jobs in Strahan and beyond, while one company – Petuna – has warned its very survival is at stake.

Conservationists accused Ms Plibersek of ignoring existing science by failing to uplist the skate and revoke approvals for salmon farms in Macquarie Harbour.

“Just last week, some of the country’s most respected scientists called on the Environment Minister to immediately remove fish farms from the harbour, an action that was recommended by her department to be done by the summer of 23/24,” said Bob Brown Foundation campaigner Alistair Allan. “Instead, Tanya Plibersek has decided to do absolutely nothing.

“Minister Plibersek is ignoring her role as Environment Minister while we are seeing a global extinction crisis … (and) potentially putting the decision off to someone else, post-federal election.

“The science is and has been absolutely clear: if the Maugean skate has any chance of survival, fish farms must be removed from the Harbour.”

That claim is hotly contested by industry, which points to recent evidence the skate population – after an apparent halving – has stabilised and that water oxygen levels have improved.

Salmon Tasmania chief executive Luke Martin demanded Ms Plibersek make a prompt decision on the environmental approvals. “There is clearly no justification for her to string out a decision on that process any longer, and she must end this completely unfair process for our workers, their families and communities,” Mr Martin said.

“Salmon aquaculture and the Maugean skate will continue to co-exist in Macquarie Harbour, and Tasmanian lives and livelihoods should not be held in limbo any longer.”

The local mayor and Liberal state government agreed. “Minister Plibersek must … finally tell our salmon workers they can get on with their jobs and end this living hell,” said West Coast Mayor Shane Pitt.

A maugean skate in Macquarie Harbour.

“It’s almost a year since she started this uncertainty and now workers, families and the West Coast could face another Christmas with their future in limbo – it’s just cruel.

“Even our kids are worried that if this goes the wrong way, they could be uprooted from their home, school and friends – what kind of person would think stringing this out is okay?”

Ms Plibersek, who has warned fish farming in the harbour may need to be curtailed, would not comment on when she would make a decision on the approvals – or whether it would be this year, or before the election.

“The government is acting in accordance with the best advice, including legal and scientific advice,” a spokeswoman said.

Ms Plibersek defended her decision to delay the up-listing, which the government said followed a request for more time from the Threatened Species Scientific Committee.

Her spokeswoman said the delay would allow these experts to “consider substantial and highly technical comments they received during public consultation”.

Coalition environment spokesman Jonno Duniam said the delay was just “the latest decision by the Albanese Government to override the wishes of state governments, following the disastrous McPhillamys goldmine decision in NSW”.

“This terrible federal Labor government could not care less about regional, sustainable jobs and would rather harvest Green votes in Sydney,” Senator Duniam said.

The Greens joined the political pile on. “This delay is a coward’s decision – putting politics ahead of nature,” said the party’s environment spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young. “Tasmania’s salmon industry is toxic and is wiping out the precious Maugean Skate while the Albanese Government panders to polluters in an election year.”