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

Algal Bloom

Mr BASHAM (Finniss) (15:11): I rise today to speak about the serious mismanagement of the recent harmful algal bloom on our South Australian coastline—a failure that has left communities exposed, businesses unsupported and vulnerable people at risk.

Firstly, on public health, the government's response has been disturbingly inadequate when it comes to asthma management. We know that harmful algal blooms can produce toxins and release particles that aggravate respiratory conditions, and we have been hearing from members of the community who have been experiencing attacks when at affected beaches as far back as March and April in the early days of this outbreak. Yet, despite this, warnings to asthmatics and those with pre-existing respiratory illnesses were hidden, vague and inconsistent with Asthma Australia. Rather than proactively mobilising health services clearly advising at-risk groups, the government relied on websites—and not even a mention in daily press releases—leaving many families confused and exposed. This is not how you safeguard public health in a crisis.

Secondly, small businesses—particularly on the Fleurieu's southern coast—have been left fending for themselves. Our coastal communities depend heavily on tourism, hospitality and recreation. When the bloom spread along our beaches, business numbers dropped overnight. Bizarrely, for a small business to apply for support, the eligibility dates they can use do not even recognise that the start of the impact began in mid-March and not, as the government has listed, April Fools' Day.

The government has offered little in the way of targeted support, completely missing large sections of the business community, including hospitality businesses, unless they are cafes on beachfronts. Businesses that were already struggling with high costs of doing business now face losses because the government failed to act to provide a safety net. We cannot claim to value regional economies while abandoning the very enterprises that keep them alive in times of crisis. The bloom is not over: the effects will be seen for an unknown time yet, and businesses are worried about their future and long-term trade. Where are the government's comments on this?

Thirdly, the issue of communication: the government's messaging has been consistently late and reactive. Communities were informed only after the bloom had already caused alarm, with notices going out in piecemeal fashion—different agencies, different messages, no central coordination. People were left asking, 'Is it safe to swim? What about my children, my pets, my health?' When people raised concerns, they were dismissed. This confusion erodes public trust. Timely, transparent and consistent communication should be an absolute minimum in an emergency response, but the government has failed this test.

These are not small oversights. They reveal a pattern of complacency and poor planning that has real consequences for South Australians. Those with asthma and respiratory vulnerabilities deserve clearer warnings. Small businesses deserve immediate support. Communities deserve accurate, consistent information, not days of silence followed by fragmented announcements.

The government cannot continue to treat harmful algal blooms as a one-off inconvenience. They are a recurring environmental and public health challenge. What we need is a clear, proactive management plan: one that includes early detection, dedicated health advice, financial support to affected businesses and a single reliable channel of communication to the public. South Australians deserve a government that does not just react at the last minute but prepares, plans and protects. On this occasion, the government has failed. Unless lessons are learned, they will fail again and again when our waters turn toxic.

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