Green stoush over salmon

ENVIRONMENT Tasmania has criticised the Greens’ decision to vote for a controversial new fish-farming law that attracted rare tripartite support.

It questioned the party’s backing for the Bill, which transfers the regulation of the industry from the Environment Department to the Environment Protection Authority.

The Greens’ vote came after the party tabled eight amendments voted down by the Government and Opposition.

“They should have rejected it,” Environment Tasmania’s Laura Kelly said. “It’s deeply flawed as a governance system. I would not have put my party’s name to something that was so deeply flawed.”

The Bill passed the Lower House on Wednesday, clarifying the EPA director’s role in regulating the state’s fish farms.

It requires salmon producers to obtain a new environmental licence and includes powers to declare no-grow zones.

Primary Industries Minister Jeremy Rockliff trumpeted the Bill’s passage with the support of all three parties.

“These are the toughest salmon regulations the state has ever seen, and I welcome the support of all parties — including the Greens — for the new laws,” he said.

Greens leader Cassy O’Connor had earlier unsuccessfully moved for a moratorium on fish-farm expansion.

The party’s marine environment spokeswoman Rosalie Woodruff spoke strongly against the industry’s environmental impact.

But the party had voted for the legislation as a first step, a spokeswoman said.

“The reason we didn’t vote against the Bill is that it is better than the current arrangements, but our amendments would have meant environmental licences would have had real teeth,” she said.

Huon Aquaculture’s executive director Frances Bender said she hoped the Bill would eventually lead to a more robust regulatory framework.

Tassal expressed its support for the new law.