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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-09-16 Daily Xml
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Algal Bloom

Mr McBRIDE (MacKillop) (15:15): I also rise today to speak about the devastating algal bloom that is causing hurt and pain to businesses in my electorate and the wider South Australian community. From information obtained by the Hon. Tammy Franks, the first fish deaths were recorded in my electorate on 24 March at Boatswain Point. Professor Charlie Huveneers from Flinders University told the Senate inquiry last Tuesday:

We lack the necessary baseline data and consistent monitoring programs…How can we tell you what has changed if we don't even know what was there to begin with?

This is why I have been asking for and seeking and supporting the idea of the state government and the Coorong Environmental Trust supporting the establishment of a wet-dry laboratory and research facility at Woods Well on the Coorong, which already has immense interest from researchers and research institutes across the globe, and this includes universities here in South Australia, in Australia and abroad.

Brevetoxins have been found in oysters, caused by algae in the water. Testing at present is being sent to New Zealand, taking nine days to turn around. This testing could be done at a research laboratory at Woods Well. I am also led to believe that there is a private Tasmanian business that has been wanting to do laboratory testing of algae and brevetoxins for the last three years but still has not been given approval, such is the process and how tough it is to get a research laboratory up and going.

The government, I think, would be looking at this seriously and would be trying to at least get tests done locally here in Adelaide or South Australia. I hope the experience of the Tasmanian business with this research laboratory does not come back to haunt South Australia with the time it takes. Professor Murray, who also spoke at the Senate inquiry, stated that the scientific community's knowledge gap was the result of decades of underfunding and government disinterest in constructing a clear picture of Australia's marine landscape. She said:

In Australia, we basically don't fund that sort of basic taxonomy and marine biodiversity type work.

In good times, someone just goes out there and looks at the microbial community and establishes what micro algal species that we have in Australia.

We really have no real funding sources for basic taxonomy that is not directed towards an urgent problem, and because of that, we don't really have any specialists who are able to do this work.

The Deputy Premier, in her reply to my question last sitting week, mentioned that we had about 1,500 linear kilometres of native oyster beds and reefs along our coastline here in South Australia and that we need to invest in restoring these reefs and seagrass beds. Can I just say that with the information crew and consultation that is going out there and that I saw at Meningie last night, all credit to the Deputy Premier and that party of experts and professors on this. There does need to be more. The information is good and it is sound, but it is coming from a long way back and behind, and we are playing a lot of catch-up.

This type of restoration around these oyster reefs and the like will cost hundreds of millions of dollars, apparently, but this is something that must be supported to try to prevent these types of disasters in the future.

Apparently, these oysters and this type of shellfish recycle about a bathtub amount of water per day, filtering and cleaning. The other thing she also indicated was that the algae is so predominant in these areas that the shellfish, such as oysters, are actually fattening up on this algae because it is so plentiful. But it does have that consequence of some sort of toxin that they need to clean themselves, purge themselves, but once they are clean and all those toxins have been removed, they are a fat shellfish, ready and fit for eating.

In relation to stories about local identities who are suffering, Tracy and Glen Hill from Coorong Wild Seafood were at the meeting last night. They have lost nearly 60 per cent of all their orders of what is basically a Coorong mullet business. They also deal with carp and have processed carp from the River Murray. They are really hurting due to this seafood downturn and lack of confidence in the seafood industry.

I wish the government all the best in advocating, supporting and giving confidence back to not only South Australians but the greater Australian market that we are a premium state, we have premium seafood and it is safe to eat. I wish the government well in this endeavour.

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