Dr WOODRUFF question to MINISTER for ENVIRONMENT and CLIMATE CHANGE, Mr JAENSCH
After years of unchecked expansion and worsening environmental and social impacts, Tasmania’s fish farming industry is about to enter its darkest phase. All three of the state’s industrial fish farm operators are now owned by mega international corporations. Corporations such as JBS and the latest, Cooke, are drawn here by the lack of regulation of our industry. Their criminal track records give us no confidence that they will be responsible stewards of marine health.
Yesterday the Government tabled its response to the Legislative Council inquiry into fin-fish farming. It shows you are refusing to act to legislative and protect our public waterways. Why are you prioritising the profits of massive multinational corporations over protecting our fragile and unique waterways?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I thank the member for her question. We welcome foreign investment in Tasmania. We are very proud of our salmon industry. We are very proud of our independent environmental regulator, newly made more independent and given an extra $10 million over the forward Estimates to prosecute its work, including in the area of regulated fin-fish farming. We have recently been out for consultation on a discussion paper for a new environmental standard for fin-fish farming in Tasmania, which has been internationally peer reviewed. We look forward to finalising that over the coming months. We look forward to working with our new Primary Industry minister, Jo Palmer, to finalise our new 10-year salmon plan. It is a plan for the future for our sustainable industry, appropriately regulated, meeting international standards and creating jobs for Tasmanians and businesses in our economy.
We believe that we are attracting investment because we have a good reputation, we have appropriate regulation. Social licence and brand are important for high-value products like farmed salmon. People are coming to Tasmania because they know that this place where they can operate has a reputation. It is regarded as a well-regulated area in terms of the environment. They know the Government is committed to sustainable growth of this industry.
