Federal government confirms continuation of salmon farming in Tasmania despite endangered fish concerns

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The federal government has confirmed the continuation of salmon farming in Tasmania's Macquarie Harbour. It brings to an end a challenge from environmental groups on the endangered Maungean skate.

Transcript

00:00So the federal government approved the expansion of salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour in 2012

00:08on Tasmania's west coast, but since then there's been significant declines in water quality

00:13and also in the numbers of the endangered Morgean skate. That resulted in environmental groups

00:19challenging that 2012 decision and that's a process that's been ongoing since 2023.

00:25It had created some uncertainty for the industry and also for the communities that rely on those jobs.

00:32So earlier this year, before the last federal election, the Labor government changed the law

00:37as one of its last acts to effectively end this kind of reconsideration request and in a letter

00:44Murray Watt has confirmed he has used that law change, yes, to end the reconsideration request

00:50and that means that salmon farming can continue in Macquarie Harbour as is, subject to a level

00:56of state-based regulation, Ros.

00:59And what's been the reaction to this decision, Adam?

01:02So as you can imagine, environmental groups are appalled by this decision.

01:06Industry is likely to be welcoming it.

01:09This issue was a major factor in the recent federal election in the seat of Braddon

01:14where Labor achieved a 15% swing, which could be put down to its law change in an attempt

01:19to save these jobs.

01:22This decision actually comes a week before the federal court was due to hear a legal challenge

01:28to the law change by the Bob Brown Foundation.

01:31That legal challenge is now likely to lapse.

01:35This law change, it means that federal environmental decisions can't be challenged if they've been

01:41ongoing for at least five years and are subject to a level of state-based regulation.

01:47Labor intended it to just target Macquarie Harbour in Tasmania, but environmental groups

01:53were concerned that it now can apply broadly to other federal environmental approvals as well.

01:59But for now, yes, salmon farming can continue in Macquarie Harbour.

02:04But, of course, the way that the industry interacts with the Morgean Skate is going to be

02:09the subject of ongoing research for years to come.

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