JAYNIE SEAL:
In a bid to revive South Australia’s algae-hit coastal towns, the state government is rolling out 20,000 Coast is Calling travel vouchers. They are worth up to $500 each and are aimed at luring visitors back to holiday hotspots along the coast. The voucher can be used for discounts on accommodation, tours and experiences.
PAUL MURRAY:
Thank you so much for watching. A conversation took place this evening between Sharri Markson and the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The whole conversation is up at skynews.com.au. He engaged with the criticism that he has previously levelled at the Australian Prime Minister and Australia’s decision to begin the process of recognising Palestine as its own country when the UN votes in a couple of weeks’ time.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has failed South Australians today. After months of distraction on global affairs where Australia has little role and even less influence, the Prime Minister has finally bothered to visit South Australia, a state in the grip of one of its worst natural disasters. His government has found $600 million for a Rugby League team in Papua New Guinea, but today could only scrape together an additional $6.25 million in immediate support for South Australians. That is a slap in the face for communities living through an environmental crisis devastating ecosystems twice the size of the ACT.
RHIANNON ELSTON:
The Prime Minister is expected to visit South Australia this week in the midst of the state’s growing harmful algal bloom, which has devastated marine life in the region. Pressure is growing on the Federal Environment Minister to declare the event a natural disaster. Well, joining me live is the Shadow Environment Minister Angie Bell. Good morning to you. There are fears the algae crisis could extend into summer, and if that does happen, how much could that worsen the impacts of this event?
The South Australian algal bloom has now been labelled one of the worst-recorded algal bloom outbreaks in the world.
International scientist and Director of the US National Office for Harmful Algal Blooms, Dr Donald Anderson, has expressed concern that this bloom has become so large that it may no longer be logistically possible to neutralise.
This is a devastating outcome that could have been avoided had the state and federal Labor governments taken early action when they were first warned.
JAYNIE SEAL:
The federal and state governments are facing harsh criticism over the algal bloom crisis affecting the South Australian coast. Joining us for more is Shadow Minister for the Environment, Angie Bell. Angie, great to see you and thank you so much for joining us. Well, the government and opposition, were in South Australia this week, including yourself, to inspect the latest damage of the algal bloom crisis. What was discussed?
SALLY SARA:
Well, senior members of the federal government and opposition have been visiting South Australia in the past week to observe the ongoing impact of the state’s algal bloom. The Federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley says the toxic bloom is causing, quote, “a collapse of the ecosystem”. Angie Bell is the Federal Shadow Minister for the Environment and was among those touring the state’s coastline. Angie Bell joins me now. Welcome back to Radio National Breakfast.
ANGIE BELL:
Thank you, Sally, so wonderful to be with you this morning.
The Federal Government’s announcement of $8 million in funding for the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital’s Research and Education Campus is a welcome step for wildlife conservation – albeit one that has taken far too long.
SONYA FELDHOFF:
Well, there was a lot of criticism of the Federal Environment Minister who literally spent, I think, 10 minutes on a beach in South Australia after having… he did come with money, that is fair, but a lot of people were pretty cynical about the amount of time he spent here.
Angie Bell is the Federal Shadow Environment Minister. She’s actually been in South Australia since Thursday, we believe, since the end of question time, taking a look at the impact of this algal bloom. Angie Bell, good morning to you.
ANGIE BELL:
Good morning, Sonya and Jules. How are you? Thanks for having me.
DAVID PENBERTHY:
The Federal Environment Minister, Murray Watt, was rightly derided for the glacial pace at which he responded to the algal bloom crisis here in South Australia. He’s still got his head in the sand. He still refuses to acknowledge that it is a natural disaster.
WILL GOODINGS:
Well, he came here with a tape measure and a dictionary, didn’t he? Because he told us it was too far out to sea to be a Commonwealth concern, it didn’t quite neatly fit the definition of a natural disaster.