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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-06-05 Daily Xml
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South Coast Algal Bloom

The Hon. S.L. GAME (14:42): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before directing a question to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development regarding public health advice related to the state's algal bloom.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.L. GAME: It was reported in The Advertiser on 27 May that coastal GPs were dealing with a surge of illnesses believed to be linked to the state's algal bloom. The report, key points of which were repeated during a FIVEaa interview with Dr Emily Kirkpatrick, said the Royal College of GPs asked why SA Health had failed to give more comprehensive and visible public advice about the dangers in addition to specific advice to GPs about what they should be telling patients.

The SA Health website included warnings to avoid swimming, diving and accidentally ingesting water at some spots. The website also advised against eating dead fish and cockles but stated that fish and shellfish caught live were safe to eat. My questions to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development are:

1. Did the SA Shellfish Quality Assurance Program discover potentially dangerous brevetoxin, and was it the key factor behind PIRSA's recent decision to close the shellfish industry in some South Australian coastline areas?

2. What was done to protect the community from collecting and consuming impacted shellfish in these same areas and in surrounding areas?

3. If dead fish and cockles mentioned by SA Health died as a result of algal blooms, is the government guaranteeing that fish and shellfish caught live in these areas have been safe for human consumption, given many of them were likely dying or diseased?

4. Does the government consider PIRSA's issuing of precautions as a result of the SA Shellfish Quality Assurance Program testing results appropriate, or should the health messaging to recreational fishers and local communities about the potential harmful effects of ingesting brevetoxin have been stronger?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:45): I thank the honourable member for her question. First of all, we need to be very, very clear—and this is important for our export industries—95 per cent of licence holders for oysters are not affected whatsoever by the discovery of brevetoxins. It is a number of smaller producers in a very limited area: Stansbury, American River, Port Vincent and Coobowie harvest areas are closed due to brevetoxin detection.

The oysters need to remain in the water and they are also on licensed aquaculture sites until the area is reopened. Brevetoxin does not impact the viability of an oyster, so the oysters continue to grow and so on. I think that is a really important point to make. It is obviously unfortunate for those areas that have had the closures, but 95 per cent of South Australia's oyster growers are not impacted by the brevetoxins.

Harvesting closures are also not unusual as part of the quality assurance program known as SASQAP, so that is something that we are very, very conscious of here in South Australia. This is not political; this is our wonderful industry. Governments of both persuasions have always been very keen to ensure that we meet the highest of food safety standards. It is through meeting those food safety standards that we are able to obtain and retain the excellent international reputation that we have for clean, green seafood—among the best in the world.

In terms of the health advice, obviously whilst specific queries can be directed to the health minister, I do recall that in addition to the health advice that was available on websites—if I recall correctly—Professor Nicola Spurrier indicated that the Department for Health was doing some further outreach to GPs, particularly in those affected areas.

In terms of recreational fishers and so on, which I think the honourable member referred to—I am sorry it was quite a long question, so my apologies if I have missed anything out—the sort of advice that is given is pretty much what I think the honourable member outlined in her question, and is the case really at anytime, not just when there is an algal bloom, which is that you should not consume any sea creatures that are already dead when you catch them, because obviously they can start to deteriorate and cause a health issue.

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