Algal Bloom

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA (Hartley—Leader of the Opposition) (14:14): My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier confirm when the government was first notified that a toxin-producing algae had been detected in the current bloom? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA: On Wednesday 5 November the ABC reported that scientists identified an algal species called Karenia cristata as the source of the brevetoxins within South Australia's devastating algal bloom and that it shows to have been the dominant species for the majority of the bloom's existence and one of five Karenia species present.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier, Minister for Defence and Space Industries) (14:14): The Leader of the Opposition's question was quite specifically when we learned that there was a toxin-producing element of the algae. That was a long, long time ago; a long, long time ago. In fact, I am not sure but I think some of those opposite might have appeared or presented at the countless public forums that we have been having and one of the emphases of our public forums—of which we have had a very large number indeed, in regional communities, in metropolitan Adelaide—is having our public health officials, our chief marine scientists and others present explain quite clearly to everyone, including in the media, that we know there is the brevetoxin that is being produced by the harmful algal bloom and we have been consistent about that. In fact, we have been testing for the brevetoxin for some time, going back months and months and months. It was the presence of brevetoxins in our shellfish initially, most specifically, in mussels, oysters and cockles, that demonstrated there was a brevetoxin. I think the Leader of the Opposition knows this has been the case for months.

What we were also clear about at the time for those people who were paying attention was that we knew within the harmful algal bloom there were lots of Karenia species, and one of them was producing the brevetoxin but not the Karenia mikimotoi. We knew it wasn’t the Karenia mikimotoi because the scientists had been able to establish, long before the bloom came to South Australia that mikimotoi is not a brevetoxin-producing species of algae.

We also knew that, despite the fact brevetoxin was present, it was not Karenia brevis which is the toxin-producing algae species that we see dominant in Florida. The hunt was on from our scientists, from the scientific community, to determine what it was. The hunt was on from the scientific community to determine what was the species of algae that was producing the brevetoxin. Finding the species of algae that was doing that is largely not consequential in the context of the health advice because we are already providing health advice, consistent with the presence of the brevetoxin that we knew was there, for the community.

It is useful for our scientists to be able to identify what the species of algae is that was producing the brevetoxin. We always knew that this was the case. We were always transparent about the fact that this was the case. I understand the desire amongst those opposite to play politics with this bloom in the way that they have from almost the very beginning.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: What I would say to the member for Morphett and those others who interject, we know what your record is. You are racing off to AI, racing off to conspiracy theories, racing off to present to the Parliament of South Australia falsehoods and to completely mislead the people of South Australia. If you were paying attention from the start, maybe you wouldn't be needing to ask these questions that you are today.

The SPEAKER: The member for Flinders is getting a little rowdy.