South Coast Algal Bloom

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (15:58): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before addressing questions to the Minister for Primary Industries on the topic of the algal bloom.

Leave granted.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: Freedom of information documents show that as early as April, when South Australians were sounding the alarm about fish deaths, collapsed catches and the economic toll of the algal bloom, their concerns were repeatedly bounced between ministers and departments—sometimes multiple times—before anyone took responsibility.

On 8 April, a fifth-generation fisher wrote directly to the Premier seeking fee relief after being unable to catch fish due to the bloom. They explained that they had already written to the primary industries minister, Clare Scriven, two weeks earlier without reply. The email was then shuffled between offices, and it wasn't until 22 April that the minister's office finally accepted the referral from the Premier.

In several instances, correspondence that clearly fell within the Minister for Primary Industries' portfolio was redirected away from her office, and this handballing occurred while fishers were without work, marine ecosystems were suffering and communities were desperate for answers. My questions to the Minister for Primary Industries are:

1. Why did your office decline correspondence from the Minister for Climate, Environment and Water's office regarding fish deaths in this state?

2. Do you accept that repeat referrals between ministers' offices delayed the delivery of assistance to affected fishers and coastal communities?

3. How many pieces of correspondence about algal bloom were received by your office between April and July, and how many of these were actioned directly, rather than referred elsewhere?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (16:00): I thank the honourable member for her question. When there is a new event, an unprecedented event, it's not surprising that new processes need to be worked through. When there is something that affects many different people within our community, it understandably affects many different portfolios within government, so I am not going to criticise the administration staff in any of our departments for seeking to attempt to clarify where is the best place or who is best suited to be able to provide information for people who write to us.

In terms of the question in regard to supposed delay in fee relief, what the honourable member appears to misunderstand is the importance of liaising with industry associations when there is a significant issue affecting their members. We have been working throughout this time with associations such as the Marine Fishers Association, the South Australian Professional Fishers Association, the Oyster Growers' Association and others, because of course if someone is actually keen to provide assistance, going to those associations you have many members who are able to report on the different impacts on them and how best a support package could be put together.

They are the people who can really assist, and of course that has involved their direct consultation in various different ways with their members, remembering that these associations generally are fishers themselves. The ongoing engagement that I, as well as other departments, have with these associations is imperative in terms of developing a package that would assist those who have been affected by the bloom.