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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-11-11 Daily Xml
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Algal Bloom

Mr BASHAM (Finniss) (15:04): My question is to—

The Hon. V.A. Tarzia interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Leader, I can't hear the member for Finniss's question.

Mr BASHAM: —the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. What reports has SA Health received of illness or respiratory effects linked to brevetoxins or similar algal toxins, and when were those reports first made?

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:04): This is obviously very similar to the previous two questions and it is going to receive a similar response and that is that we have been listening to our public health officials. Our public health officials have been examining all the international evidence in terms of harmful algal blooms, have provided that advice to the public, have been in contact with general practitioners across South Australia and have been making available information to them, as we of course have done publicly but also through forums across the state. Our public officials have been speaking to hospitals, particularly in areas—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: —close to our marine environment.

The SPEAKER: The member for Chaffey can leave until the end of question time. It has just been nonstop. I am trying to listen to what the minister has got to say and it's just been nonstop from you.

The honourable member for Chaffey having withdrawn from the chamber:

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Health.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: Thank you very much, sir. SA Health has been providing this information publicly. We have been monitoring the impacts. I am happy to provide further advice, as I have said in answer to the previous two questions. But what I do think is disappointing is trying to play politics with public health advice, trying to cause division in our community, trying to spread conspiracy theories using ChatGPT from Frank Pangallo to try to whip up fear. We clearly know that there are some short-term health impacts and there are particular things that people with asthma and other lung conditions need to be mindful of. Those are detailed in the health advice as is available publicly and as I have just tabled for the parliament today.

We have made available our public health officials for media interviews to explain this and at all of our different forums that we have conducted across the state to answer questions from people who have concerns about this. We will continue to be transparent with this information as we receive it. It is coming from our public health officials, certainly not from me, certainly not from my office or the political arm of the government.

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