Algal Bloom and Koala vaccines

I want to talk tonight about two significant environmental issues. The first one is the failure of the Albanese government on the algal bloom calamity occurring in South Australian waters at the moment. The second one is my deep concern over the lack of a funding commitment for koala chlamydia vaccines.

Australians should be disappointed with the Albanese government’s failure to act on the algal bloom that’s been blooming now for months and has significantly affected the South Australian coastline. The Labor government failed to listen to scientists 18 months ago who simply wanted funding to monitor what is going on in South Australian waters and the Great Southern Reef. The Albanese Labor government failed to listen to scientists four months ago, when dead fish were washing up on metropolitan beaches in South Australia.

To date, more than 14,000 marine animals have died because the Albanese government failed to listen to scientists. Local fishing and tourist businesses are hurting. They are in a lot of pain because of the Albanese government’s failure to respond sooner. Trade has completely ceased for commercial fishers at Port Vincent and Stansbury on the Yorke Peninsula. This is an area that I know well. I spent my family holidays growing up on the Yorke Peninsula, and I still have family in the area. I know it very well. I went crabbing as a young girl in Ardrossan and fishing for King George whiting in the gulf, and it is heartbreaking to see what South Australians are going through.

Oyster farmer Steve Bowley hasn’t sold an oyster in over 80 days. Fisher Paul Germain hasn’t caught one single fish in over 80 days. Bart Butson, a local fisher at Port Wakefield, saw hundreds of dead cuttlefish floating on the sea and has seen southern calamari absolutely disappear. Tourists are cancelling their holidays in caravan parks. They’re deserting local operators and hospitality venues. Stansbury publican Rob Rankine’s revenue is down more than a thousand dollars a day compared to this time last year, and shopkeepers’ revenues are down 15 per cent. Businesses simply can’t cope with that. A mercy dash on the eve of parliament returning is simply not good enough. South Australians—all Australians—should be disappointed in this Labor government, because all of this could and should have been addressed much sooner. If only they had listened to the scientists.

This also leads me to be deeply concerned about what else the Albanese government is failing on when it comes to the environment. For that, I need to look no further than my own region and my deep concern over the lack of a funding commitment for koala chlamydia vaccines. The new member for McPherson and I recently visited the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital, hosted by Jayme Cuttriss, the CEO of the National Trust of Australia, which oversees Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and the hospital, and Dr Michael Pyne OAM, the head vet at Currumbin. Michael and Jayme lead one of the busiest wildlife hospitals in the world, treating 252 species and over 16,000 patients per year. They also host thousands of schoolchildren through their educational programs and many tourists. Their work includes looking after more than 380 sick koalas admitted to their hospital; operating the vaccine development for chlamydia, koala retrovirus, microbiome and genetics; and the vaccination of more than 350 koalas.

The vaccination program, through the recapture and monitoring of the vaccinated koalas, shows great promise, and the relatively low disease rate amongst the vaccinated koalas and the relatively high fertility rate suggests the vaccine is providing a level of protection. There is deep concern over federal funding drying up, and, although the hospital is currently receiving $1.5 million over three years, there is deep uncertainty for ongoing operations, with the final payment ending in June 2026. There is no commitment from the Albanese government regarding further funding despite many requests. So I encourage the Albanese government to listen to the scientists and to provide funding with certainty for the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital and the sanctuary, and I encourage all Australians to come and visit the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and the hospital and let them know that their local members are fighting for them and for the koalas on the Gold Coast.