Bob Brown Foundation lodges legal challenge over Anthony Albanese’s ‘rushed’ salmon bill

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The ink is barely dry on contentious legislation designed to protect salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour. But already a challenge is being lodged in the federal court. The Bob Brown Foundation has launched legal action in the Federal Court challenging the week-old changes to environmental laws.

Transcript

00:00The federal government's last minute legislation designed to protect salmon farming on Tasmania's

00:08west coast is facing another fight, just five days after it passed federal parliament with

00:15the coalition's support.

00:16We're here today to file a challenge to that and say no this new amendment doesn't apply

00:21to Macquarie Harbour and you still have to act to save a species from extinction.

00:26The Bob Brown Foundation lodging a federal court challenge.

00:30Albanese and Dutton thought that by rushing their legislation through the parliament,

00:35which we think will lead to the extinction of the Morgian skate, it would all go off

00:41the agenda.

00:42Well, wrong.

00:43In 2023, then Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek was asked by conservation groups

00:50concerned about the population decline of the endangered Morgian skate to reconsider

00:55salmon farming approvals in Macquarie Harbour, with the new legislation intended to stop

01:00that in its tracks and give the salmon industry certainty.

01:05The challenge alleges the minister has failed to make a decision quickly enough and that

01:09salmon farming in the harbour has changed significantly in the last five years, meaning

01:15the new laws don't apply.

01:17We've got confidence from what we've been told by the Australian government and the

01:22people who drafted the legislation when we were is that they're confident it should uphold

01:27against any legal challenges.

01:28We always get legal advice before we introduce legislation.

01:31We believe that that legislation does what it was intended to do.

01:35It's green lawfare, this is what they specialise in.

01:38The Federal Environment Department says it doesn't comment on matters subject to court

01:42proceedings.

01:44The move comes the same day the Coalition has pledged to ban the import of Chilean salmon

01:49products into Australia if elected, overturning a federal government decision to allow it.

01:56Federal Labor says it backs in its biosecurity measures and argues the Coalition's pledge

02:02would risk Australia's international trade.

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