Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-10-30 Daily Xml

Contents

Algal Bloom

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (14:25): Supplementary: was the department's risk assessment independently verified and were industry consulted in regard to that risk assessment?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:25): Industry has been involved all the way through. I refer to an email that came from SAOGA, which stated the following:

In regards to the transfer of algae, the likelihood of this occurring is moderate to high. In regards to the transfer of algae setting off a bloom, the likelihood is low to medium however, the risk mitigation recommendations will also reduce the transfer.

Noting all this and the fact that industry is built on the reliance of stock movement between bays, industry can't sustainably operate without stock movement for lengthy periods of time. The SAOGA and SAORC Boards found it difficult to land on a final decision but the majority were looking for a process to allow relays to occur. Therefore, SAOGA recommend to PIRSA that relay requests should begin to be processed and then allowed where at least one method of risk mitigation is used prior to movement.

So we have worked closely. We have involved the information that is available, which has included a report commissioned by SAOGA in regard to Karenia, an animal health assessment and also assessment of brevetoxin cross-contamination.