SARDI Fish Deaths

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (14:48): Supplementary arising from the original answer: when is the investigation expected to be complete, and is the minister aware of any additional spate of fish deaths after the initial fish kill that was originally reported?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:49): The analysis will be complete once all lines of investigation have been completed. I think it is particularly important that any analysis should be thorough and robust. After all, it's in everyone's interests, for those who have been affected, to find the answers, if those answers are indeed available.

SARDI is very keen to understand what may have contributed to the deaths. They have obviously been impacted, and of course Robarra is as well. I haven't had formal notification of additional fish deaths, and my understanding is that there have not been any at SARDI, although I understand there may have been additional impacts at Robarra but that is currently not something that has been confirmed.

I think, when we come back to the importance of evidence, the Leader of the Opposition needs to be aware of why we need evidence—evidence rather than speculation, evidence rather than—if we want causation then we need to do the analysis, and that is what is occurring. I am further advised that the dredging trial on metropolitan Adelaide beaches was commissioned and overseen by the state's Department for Environment and Water. This is important to note because the Leader of the Opposition had a letter published in a regional paper claiming that it was conducted by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA).

It was not conducted by the EPA. The EPA licenses the trial as a dredging activity in accordance with normal procedures. The licence required a dredge management plan to be approved by the EPA prior to the commencement of dredging. I know the Leader of the Opposition here doesn't like to be corrected when she has got something so totally wrong that she didn't even know that the EPA does not conduct dredging.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: The EPA does not conduct dredging; the EPA does the licence. So she likes to interject when she is being corrected. She doesn't like to actually admit that she has got—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: —it wrong. The dredge management plan is required under a licence to be approved by the EPA prior to the commencement of dredging. This process seeks to ensure that measures and controls are in place throughout the trial to prevent and minimise environmental harm. The dredge management plan, I am advised, was prepared to the satisfaction of the EPA and included requirements for (1) a sediment characterisation sampling program consistent with the national assessment guidelines for dredging, Commonwealth of Australia; (2) a water quality monitoring plan; (3) a seagrass monitoring plan; and (4) a noise management plan.

I am advised the sediment sampling program prior to dredging confirmed that the sediments identified for dredging contained low or undetectable levels of contaminants. Turbidity was continuously monitored by the licensee at six sites during the trial, with trigger levels stop and mitigate to protect water quality and seagrass. Throughout the operations turbidity remained similar to background levels recorded before the trial, and the turbidity triggers to protect water quality and seagrass were not reached.

I am advised further that a seagrass survey was conducted by the licensee in August 2024, prior to dredging operations, to establish a baseline of nearby seagrass meadows before the trial commenced, and further surveys are being conducted post dredging. This monitoring will help inform the EPA's understanding of the potential impacts from dredging and inform assessment of the technical environmental feasibility of future dredging activities proposed along the Adelaide metropolitan coastline. Finally, I am advised the dredging operations were completed and were compliant with the EPA licence conditions.

I think it is important to place on the record the process—because the Leader of the Opposition is obviously ignorant of it—that happens when a licence is issued. When it comes back to the death of the fish, the larvae, etc., SARDI is as keen as anyone to understand the reasons for it. That's why a thorough and robust analysis is being undertaken, and I hope that it will provide some answers for us.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: Final supplementary.

The PRESIDENT: No, your next question. We are eight minutes in and we have had one question.