Bloom support plan swells to more than $100m ahead of summer
The much-anticipated Algal Bloom Summer Plan has finally been released, with the state and federal governments committing $102.5 million to address the devastating algal bloom.
The governments said the objectives of the plan are “ensuring South Australians can enjoy their summer”, “backing coastal businesses and communities” and “advancing research and protecting our environment”.
This includes $20.6 million towards restoring the environment, $17.3 million for science, research and monitoring, $48 million for coastal businesses and communities and $16 million towards “ensuring South Australians can enjoy their summer”.
Among a slew of programs to address the algal bloom crisis, the state and federal governments will fund threatened and vulnerable marine species breeding, the establishment of an Office for Algal Bloom Research and the trial of AI-powered submersible cytobots to research phytoplankton communities.
They will also support the development of live detection and early warning systems for algal outbreaks, as well as a new round of industry support grants for businesses.
You might like
Premier Peter Malinauskas said the investment of more than $100 million “represents a major investment in environment restoration as well as science and research”.
“Restoring seagrasses and native oyster reefs, along with other efforts contained within this plan, puts us on the quickest path to recovery,” he said.
“This is also a comprehensive plan to support coastal businesses and communities and ensure South Australians can enjoy their summer.
Stay informed, daily
“Together with the Commonwealth, we’re pulling all levers available to governments to help the state respond to the algal bloom. And, we’ve undertaken significant consultation with experts, industry and the broader community.”
Federal Environment and Water Minister Murray Watt said the Summer Plan “will back locals and encourage them to get out and about in the warmer weather”.
“We’re delivering funding for the science and environmental measures to help marine life recover, and ensure South Australia is at the forefront of our country’s algal bloom research,” he said.
“We’re tackling this algal bloom outbreak from all angles, and will continue to work closely with the Malinauskas Government to deliver what’s needed.”
Opposition Leader Vincent Tarzia said South Australians were frustrated with the government’s “belated” and “piecemeal” approach to navigating the harmful algal bloom.
While Shadow Environment Minister David Basham was disappointed that the Summer Plan failed to expand eligibility criteria for affected businesses.
“We welcome any additional support for those who qualify, but there are still too many operators who have fallen through the cracks and are struggling to survive,” Basham said.
“For a number of small businesses in my local community, the 30 per cent drop in revenue is far too much to weather and we call for the Government to relax this criteria as a matter of urgency.”
Greens MLC Robert Simms welcomed the Summer Plan but called on Labor to axe subsidies to the fossil fuel industry and place a moratorium on oil and gas exploration, which he said was a key factor contributing to hotter temperatures under climate change, a listed cause of the algal bloom.
“[I]t’s good to see that the State Government has finally moved to allocate more resources to these critical areas … However, we also need to have a serious conversation about the role of the fossil fuel industry in creating the conditions for this crisis and whether they should pick up the bill for cleaning up,” said Simms, who is chair of Parliament’s Joint Inquiry into the Harmful Algal Bloom.
