Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has brought attention to damaging environmental reform by waving a dead salmon wrapped in plastic in parliament on Wednesday.
During a debate in the Upper House, Hanson-Young, the Greens’ environment and water spokesperson, accused the federal government of having “stitched up” a deal with the Opposition to “gut out environmental laws… all in the name of a toxic, polluting salmon industry”.
On Tuesday, ahead of the federal budget, the government introduced a bill that removes the environment minister’s ability to revoke some past decisions.
The reforms are aimed at preserving the Tasmanian salmon industry in Macquarie Harbour, where approvals have been under review by the environment minister.
In 2023, conservationists challenged the industry for intensive fish farming that has caused oxygen levels to drop, threatening the existence of the Maugean skate fish species. Only found in the region on Tasmania’s west coast, the Maugean skate is linked to the dinosaur age.
‘No proper scrutiny’
Despite the Greens and key environmental advocates including the Australian Marine Conservation Society, WWF and GreenPeace and the Australia Institute opposing the reform, Labor passed the legislation with the support of the Opposition in the House of Representatives.
“On the eve of an election, have you sold out your environmental credentials for a rotten, stinking extinction salmon,” said Hanson-Young, before pulling out the large, dead fish in protest to the changes to the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
Hanson-Young told the Senate that the government has rushed through the bill in budget week with “no proper process, no proper scrutiny”.
Hanson-Young also confronted Labor frontbencher Jenny McAllister, who represents the environment minister, asking her: “what toxic industry… would get the next carve out”.
McAllister called the fish a “stunt”, and Senate president Sue Lines told Hanson-Young to remove the fish.
Labor argues the bill is necessary to protect the area’s salmon farming industry and salvage people’s full-time jobs. They also committed $28 million to improve oxygenation in the harbour, fund a captive breeding program and monitor the population.
However, Environmental Justice Australia has analysed the bill and said the Albanese government was “simply wrong” to claim its proposed legislation would only affect the salmon industry in the harbour.
The organisation’s co-chief executive and lawyer, Elizabeth McKinnon has said the bill has prompted concerts of far-reaching ramifications as well, with potential for the legislation to impact future decisions on mining, land clearing or housing and infrastructure development.
“We fear they’ll lead to alarming wide-scale rollback of environmental protections in federal law,” she told The Guardian. “These changes … could gut the ability of community and environment groups to challenge destructive projects.”
‘A death warrant’
Along with Hanson-Young’s public protest to the bill, Tasmanian Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson gave an impromptu protest on Wednesday, as prime minister Anthony Albanese was giving interviews on the federal budget outside of parliament.
From the Senate doors, Whish-Wilson yelled out to Albanese that his politics were “not good enough, pushing a species to the brink of extinction under the cover of a budget”.
“The last thing the prime minister does at the end of this parliament is to sign the death warrant for a species,” Whish-Wilson said later. “This is the lowest point for me in my 14 years in the place.”
Calls for protecting biodiversity and the salmon in Tasmania are echoing from across the globe.
American actor and climate activist, Leonardo DiCaprio has also called out the Australian government to his 60.4 million Instagram followers, saying the Maugean Skate must be protected.
“This shallow estuary off the Tasmanian coast is one of the most important places in the world – now designated as a #KeyBiodiversityArea – which means it’s essential for the planet’s overall health and the persistence of biodiversity.”