Algal Bloom

Mr ELLIS (Narungga) (15:15): I rise to talk about the same topic, actually, that being the algal bloom. There has been a lot of chat about it this week in this parliament, quite rightly, but as the member whose region is arguably most affected right now I thought it prudent for me to get up and put my community's views on the record to make sure that we are heard in this place about the shortcomings and the possible future action that is required to make sure that we get through the summer.

It is a very important issue, Mr Speaker, as you well know. It has been one that has been continuing to grow in magnitude over the course of some months, and members will obviously remember that we first observed this in the waters off the Fleurieu way back in March, and since that time it has become an increasingly important issue and is having a dramatic effect on our coastline.

Members might also remember that on 18 June, this parliament passed a motion calling for action on the algal bloom. It passed with very little fanfare, it must be said, and to very little acclaim. Unfortunately, mainly thanks to the lack of time we had available to us, there were not a great many speakers. It was disappointing, especially now in hindsight, to note the difficulty we had in trying to bring that to the top of the agenda.

I am sure members will agree, again with the benefit of hindsight, that it is a massive issue that is affecting a great many people in this state and it would have been nice to have the support of the parliament to bring it to the top of the agenda so that we could have a lengthy debate, to offer the sort of debate it was worthy of having.

Alas, we did not quite get that, but it was a motion that passed the parliament in June calling for action that actually generated very little. It took some weeks later for the issue to grow in size for actual action to become a reality. It was not until, at least in my view, late July when a country cabinet meeting was hastily formed to be held in Ardrossan that we finally saw some sort of action on this algal bloom. So, if you know that it started in March and you know that this parliament passed the motion on 18 June, then you will know that late July is a long time after that for action to finally take place.

I think the opposition leader was there around the same time. We had the whole cabinet there on 28 July, as I said, and it was a good day. There was some positivity in the region, there was some optimism that we might finally get some sort of action for our community, for the people who are really struggling. I think at the time a great many people were appreciative to have the entire government there.

Now, it has to be said also that at the government-led community forum a couple of weeks later, on 14 August, optimism had been replaced by frustration. For those of us who were there—and there was actually a number of members of parliament who came—we heard some significant frustration, particularly from the commercial fishing sector, about the speed at which those grants were being rolled out. At the country cabinet meeting on 28 July, those grants were promised to get out within 15 days of receiving the application. I can tell you, at the community forum, most if not all of the fishermen had not received a dollar yet.

Steve Bowley, the gentleman who stood with the Premier and lent his image to those famous photos that appeared on the front page of the paper and on all the social media posts, had yet to receive a dollar from the government, despite the fact that he had not been able to sell—and this is on 14 August, candidly—an oyster for quite some months. That is extremely frustrating for him; they were living off zero income. The bureaucracy and red tape and difficulties in applying for those grants were making it that much more difficult for him to receive the grant funding. I have not talked to Steve in the last couple of days. I hope that he has been able to receive that grant funding by now, but others have not.

Michael Pennington, who is a friend of mine, was leading the charge at the community forum that was hosted by the Minister for Tourism in the absence of the Premier and the Deputy Premier and the Chief Public Health Officer, who did not turn up. The Minister for Tourism copped the brunt of Michael Pennington's message. He was frustrated. He had not caught a fish for 80-something days at that point, he had not been able to access any grant funding, and was extraordinarily frustrated by the framework that had been put in place for him to access it. So he made sure he made his feelings heard.

I talked to him today. He was staggered at the action that was triggered after his outburst. He received four calls from different government officials the day after, which goes to show what the squeaky wheel gets every now and then. His outburst was entirely justified because it triggered some action.

Jack and Judy DeGiglio were in the paper recently. I have talked to them today as well. They have not received any grant funding yet because of some difficulties. I have written to the minister to plead their case and I hope it is looked upon favourably.

But there is a final point I would like to make. What is the point of having these conditions and terms on this grant funding framework if the advice from the government is, 'Just apply anyway, we'll see how we go'? What is the point of having the conditions in the first place, and how can anyone apply with any confidence when it is just a haphazard, ad hoc approval process?