2024-06-24
Following reports of mass fish kills in the Coorong, the Greens have called on Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to help save the Coorong by releasing the millions of dollars allocated but not yet delivered under Phase 2 of the Healthy Coorong, Healthy Basin Action Plan.
Senator Sarah Hanson-Young is Greens spokesperson for Water and Environment:
“Today I’m calling on Minister Plibersek to stop mass fish kills in the Coorong.
“Millions of dollars have been allocated to save the Coorong. Minister Plibersek needs to release those funds now to help stop more mass fish kills in the Coorong.
“I’m calling on the Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek today to look after the environment, release that money and to get on with it.
“South Australians know what happens when water management is stuffed up. We know rivers die from the mouth up.
“We've seen this before when the Lower Lakes and the Coorong became sick because we didn’t have enough fresh water coming down thanks to over-extraction by corporate irrigators upstream.
“It's been a very, very dry few months in South Australia and we know this summer it's only going to get worse. We can't afford to see any more delay at helping to save our precious Coorong and the south and north lagoons.
"If the Minister won’t release the funds as a matter of urgency then she should explain why and be prepared to explain catastrophic fish kills like those in the Darling-Baarka.
“It is imperative that a water quality monitoring station is established in the fish kill zone and that regular independent monitoring water sampling of the lagoons is carried out.”