Giant Australian Cuttlefish

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (14:31): My question is to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development. Will the minister inform the chamber about the government's commitment to protecting giant Australian cuttlefish?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:32): I thank the honourable member for his well-constructed question, which is specific and which we can provide information about.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Listen, this is about Whyalla. Everyone pay attention—no interjections.

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: Thank you, Mr President. I absolutely agree that Whyalla is incredibly important, and I am very glad that you have called people's attention to that in this place. We went to the last state election committing to the re-implementation of protection for the giant Australian cuttlefish in the Upper Spencer Gulf, which of course was allowed to lapse under the former Liberal government in 2020. I am pleased to say that we delivered on the commitment quickly and have continued to strengthen protection further, in regulation and now in a proposed act, ever since.

It was interesting to hear the Leader of the Opposition recently defend the decision of the former government to allow protection to lapse, saying, 'Sound science must always underpin fishery management decisions,' and that this decision was consistent with the best available science at that time. The opposition supported the government's bill in this chamber, and we certainly appreciate that they have recognised their error while in government and joined us as we seek to provide the highest legislative protection available to the species, protection that they took away only five years ago.

I absolutely agree with the Leader of the Opposition—a rare thing—when she says fisheries management should always be based on the best available science, which I am certain she will be pleased to know is exactly how this government makes fisheries management decisions, including decisions we have made in recent times.

The Leader of the Opposition has been a frequent critic of SARDI and our scientific community and their work in recent years. It would seem she was more open to their work when her party members were on this side of the chamber, as opposed to when she can try to score a political point when she is sitting on that side.

Shortly after the 2022 election, I acted quickly in delivering our election commitment, instructing PIRSA to implement protection across the Upper Spencer Gulf for giant Australian cuttlefish. This protection, enacted through section 79 of the Fisheries Management Act, was in place for the 2022 spawning season.

By 2023, regulations were put in place to ensure long-term protection of the species, which in turn has provided confidence to the people of Whyalla, who do such a fantastic job in accommodating the increased nature-based tourism and the large numbers of people wanting to witness the cuttlefish aggregation and take part in the town's Cuttlefest, which includes many ways to experience the aggregation and other Whyalla and surrounding region attractions.

The giant Australian cuttlefish is an iconic species that captures people's imaginations, and we are incredibly fortunate to host their aggregation in our state's waters, the only known event like this for the species anywhere in the world—right on our doorstep. I acknowledge the hard work of the Hon. Eddie Hughes, who has been a passionate advocate for his region in pushing for the highest possible protection for giant Australian cuttlefish because he knows how important they are to his community, both in the environmental sense and also to the growing opportunities around the spawning event, a fantastic reason to visit one of our state's great places.