Rosalie Woodruff MP | Greens Marine Environment spokesperson
The Liberals have spent nearly two years working on their much-vaunted plan for the future of the salmon farming industry, but all they’ve delivered is a glossy brochure that maintains the status quo.
With growing community and scientific backlash about the serious marine degradation being caused by fish farming, the Government announced two years ago it would develop a 10 year plan for the sector’s future. Despite big promises from multiple Liberal Ministers, the slim document released today delivers none of what’s needed to clean up this damaging industry.
Communities all around lutruwita Tasmania are deeply concerned about industrial farming effluent pouring into public waterways and the loss of marine life. Rather than actions to properly clean up the industry, the Liberals’ glossy brochure is full of woolly, meaningless, buzzwords.
The so-called plan has no binding commitments, no targets, no limits and no firm timeframes. It’s a plan to continue with the unchecked industrial expansion that is polluting estuaries, rivers and bays, harming animals, and doing real brand Tasmania damage.
The Liberals may think they can hoodwink Tasmanians with this so-called plan as political cover until the next election, but they are sorely mistaken. People will see it for what it is, a cynical PR attempt and more of the same toxic approach.
The only option for a sustainable future salmon industry is a timeframe to transition out of public waters and onto land-based farming. Instead of taking action to protect our highly threatened marine life, the Liberals have focussed again on protecting the profits of massive international fish farm corporations.