The future of salmon farming in Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour remains under ‘active’ assessment by the federal government despite the recent passing of legislation designed to end the review. The opposition says there is now uncertainty for the industry, but the government insists it will follow through with its promise to protect salmon jobs.
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00:00Over the past year, Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton have paid separate visits to Macquarie
00:08Harbour, promising to protect salmon jobs in the face of a potential shutdown.
00:14And despite noisy protests and stunts in the Senate, contentious changes to national environment
00:24laws passed the parliament last month.
00:27The amendments were designed to end the Environment Minister's assessment of the salmon industry's
00:32impact on the endangered Morgean skate, but it's now been confirmed that those deliberations
00:38are yet to formally conclude and remain active.
00:41So far from clarifying things, from providing certainty that was promised to salmon workers
00:46by Labor, that we, the opposition, were told would be the outcome of passing this legislation,
00:52the uncertainty remains.
00:54The details emerged after JLN Senate candidate Rex Patrick submitted a Freedom of Information
00:59request for a departmental briefing given to Tanya Plibersek earlier this year.
01:05The FOI request was rejected on the grounds that the decision making process is still current
01:11and subject to ongoing deliberative processes.
01:14The Minister should keep assessing it and do her job and get salmon farms out of Macquarie
01:19Harbour to give the Morgean skate a fighting chance of survival.
01:23But Labor insists the salmon industry has nothing to fear, suggesting its plan to end the assessment
01:29has simply been paused during caretaker mode.
01:32What we know is that legislation only passed just prior to the federal election being called,
01:38and we will be adhering to the law.
01:40A law change that hasn't yet been actioned.