2017-08-02
Greens spokesperson for Healthy Oceans, Peter Whish-Wilson provides the following comments on the green-lighting of the Tassal salmon farm at Okehampton Bay.
Senator Whish-Wilson said, "I'm bitterly disappointed, but not surprised, that the federal Liberal Government has chosen to stand by Will Hodgman in an election year, and refused to do a full environmental feasibility study on the the Tassal Okehampton Bay expansion.
"This is the same Liberal government that wants to give foreign coal barons tax-payers money to help build the biggest coal mine in the world, lobbied to prevent the Great Barrier Reef being put on the List of World Heritage in Danger, and is actively promoting the culling of protected and endangered marine species like the Great White Shark against our international treaty obligations.
"Given the mess that the Hodgman government has created in regulating Macquarie Harbour, why would anyone trust them to get it right in pristine coastal areas like East Coast Tasmania?
"Tasmanians don't want our beautiful marine environment to be surrounded by rings of industrial fish farms, and they don't want big companies calling the shots in our parliaments.
"Given the dire scientific forecasts of warming water impacts on in-shore fish farms in Tasmania, if Liberal and Labor cared about our communities and the future of the salmon industry and its workers, they would be actively investing in research and development to move aquaculture far offshore, or onto closed loop land-based structures.
"The Greens will closely scrutinise today's disappointing decision when federal parliament resumes next week," he concluded.