Community News & Speeches – Page 3

1 Aug | '2025

Transcript – FIVEAA Breakfast with David Penberthy and Will Goodings

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.

31 Jul | '2025

Algal Bloom

Last Friday, we heard an extraordinary admission from those opposite in relation to South Australia’s algal bloom crisis. The member for Adelaide and its beaches said that he accepted criticism that this has been a bit slow, and that the best time to have done this would have been some weeks ago, maybe even a few months ago. So why didn’t they act sooner?

30 Jul | '2025

TAXPAYERS FUND BUREAUCRATS, AGAIN

A week-long Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority conference has resulted in a $59,610 taxpayer funded accommodation bill.
During Senate Estimates last year, the Reef Authority approached three possible accommodation providers in the Cairns-Port Douglas region on limited tender for a five-day conference.

29 Jul | '2025

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.

29 Jul | '2025

Vale Dave Zemek

I rise to remember a titan of the surf lifesaving movement, a member of my community who, sadly, passed after almost a decade in a wheelchair. Dave Zemek was an absolute giant. Unfortunately, some years ago, he dived into the water at Mermaid Beach Surf Club, hit the sandbank or a piece of flotsam in the water and snapped his spinal cord.

28 Jul | '2025

Moncrieff Electorate: Young Australians

Our young people represent the future, and they deserve our attention, our guidance and, of course, our support. It’s a great privilege to be going into my second term as the shadow minister for youth, and I want to highlight that the new Opposition Leader, Sussan Ley, opted to elevate youth into the shadow cabinet so that young people have a louder voice when it comes to Coalition policy.

28 Jul | '2025

MPI – Environment

Many members in this House may not know this—I will start with a small snapshot of my life—but I grew up in South Australia and spent my childhood playing on the beaches of the Yorke Peninsula, crab fishing in Ardrossan, eating King George whiting for breakfast and flattening out calamari with beer bottles. Mum used to fry them in the pan for breakfast, freshly caught in the Gulf of St Vincent.

25 Jul | '2025

Transcript – Sky News Afternoon Agenda with Tom Connell

TOM CONNELL:
Let’s return to that situation in Gaza. It’s been described as the strongest condemnation yet from the Australian government on the Israeli government, saying more aid needs to be let through. Joining me now is Shadow Environment Minister Angie Bell. Thank you for your time. We’ll get to your portfolio in a moment but what do you make of this shift? Is it time for Israel to stop with excuses about difficulty of getting aid through and just make it happen.
ANGIE BELL:
Well, thanks, Tom, for having me on your show. I’m sure that Australians around the country are horrified at the scenes that we’re seeing coming out of Gaza.

24 Jul | '2025

LABOR BEACHED ON ALGAL BLOOM

Scientists have once again called for government action on the South Australian algal bloom that has resulted in over 14,000 dead marine creatures.
They have requested an immediate investment of $10 million to research the impact of the bloom and inform plans for the next occurrence.

24 Jul | '2025

South Australia: Algal Bloom

Former treasury secretary Ken Henry said just last week that Australia’s environment protection laws have both failed to stop the degradation of Australia’s natural environment and held back economic growth, and they are undermining productivity. It’s true that, under the Albanese government, not only are Australians worse off, with soaring cost-of-living pressures, but Australia’s environment is also worse off.