I am an Australian and I’m proud to be an Australian and I’m proud of our Australian flag. Do those opposite feel as proud of our nation as we do on this side of the House; are they as proud of our national flag as we are?
I recently had the great privilege of joining my community for the annual Kokoda Day and Vietnam Veterans’ Day commemorations. This year marked the 83rd Kokoda Day commemoration and, as I do each year, I joined the Rotary Club of Broadwater Southport and the Surfers Paradise RSL Sub-Branch for their service.
ANGIE BELL:
What we have seen to date is three years of failure to reform the EPBC Act under a Labor Albanese government. We have seen three years of failure and delay with a foot on the brake when it comes to reforming the EPBC Act. And now, what we’re hearing is that the government is on a fast train to reforming the EPBC Act. What I will say about that is that this government has had plenty of time to decide on an update to the EPBC Act and reform it, and it has failed categorically.
WILL GOODINGS:
We’ll revisit that shortly. But before we do, at four to seven, let’s talk Algal Bloom. Angie Bell’s the Federal Shadow Environment Minister and joins us on FIVEAA Breakfast. Angie Bell, good morning to you.
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?
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.