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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-08-19 Daily Xml
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South Coast Algal Bloom

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (15:55): My questions are to the Minister for Primary Industries on the topic of the algal bloom:

1. Given concerns were being raised as early as March and April, can the minister outline what immediate actions your government took at that time to prevent the bloom from escalating to its current severity?

2. Did your government, during the initial phase of the bloom, receive any advice from the experts you consulted with about possible measures, such as clay flocculation, to control the bloom and prevent or curtail its expansion and, if so, when was that advice provided?

3. Can you advise whether your government has received any advice that the algal bloom has now reached a stage where it cannot be treated effectively?

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! I didn't have to stand up. That's enough. Let's just listen to the minister.

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (15:56): It appears that those opposite think they know better than the scientists. They think they can prevent the bloom. They think there is an opportunity to prevent the bloom. That is what they have said. What I suspect they might be referring to is there are a number of potential solutions for algal issues that have been used at various places, both within Australia and around the world. They have referred to one, which involves clay. There are others as well, which quite possibly they are not aware of because, as we know, they haven't actually delved deeply into this issue.

My advice is that, whilst all of those potential ways of mitigating algal blooms are always under consideration, those that we are aware of have mainly been used within enclosed waters—say, for example, in lakes. Obviously, the open sea is quite different. Any proposals that come to government have been and are being considered seriously where they may have the potential to improve the algal bloom situation.

But, of course, there also needs to be an understanding of what are the consequences any proposed solutions would have: would they cause additional issues for the marine environment? All of those things, I am able to say, are under consideration by the experts: those who actually have expertise in science, in the marine environment and in some of these proposals.

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