‘Happy to work’ on bikie laws

PREMIER Will Hodgman says he will work with the Upper House to implement new laws banning the wearing of insignia of outlaw motorcycle gangs.

Speaking on Tasmania Talks with Brian Carlton yesterday, Mr Hodgman, left, said he was open to refining the laws.

“We ’re quite happy to work constructively with any members of p a r l i a ment , including in the Legislative Council, to make improvements to what we propose,” Mr Hodgman said. “But ultimately, laws have passed which are going to help police to keep our community safer.”

The laws create a new offence of wearing, carrying or displaying a prohibited item in a public place and it is intended to stop gangs wearing their club patches, insignia or logos.

After passing through the Upper House with amendments on Wednesday, by eight votes to six, the legislation was agreed by the Lower House early on Thursday. IT IS not all about fish at Tassal’s Okehampton Bay site, with the company preparing to harvest its first seaweed crop.

The salmon farmer started growing giant kelp next to its fish farms two years ago to help to reduce its environmental footprint, promote balanced ecosystems and revitalise seaweed forests in Tasmania’s coastal waters.

The company has tipped more than $500,000 into the project, which has been so successful it is exploring commer- cial opportunities for the slimy plant before the first major harvest in November.

Kelp, or macrocystis, is one of the fastest-growing plants in the world, with recorded growth rates of 50cm a day, and can reach heights of 30m.

Tassal marine biologist Craig Sanderson said the company’s plants off the Tasman Peninsula had grown to 4m in just two months.

He said kelp could be used mostly in the food and beverage industry, with the substance alginates, which is derived from seaweed, com- monly used as a thickener for ice cream and to keep the head on beer.

“You might be seeing it on the tables fairly soon,” Dr Sanderson said. “This year we could [harvest] as much as 20 tonnes but I imagine it’ll be closer to five tonnes.”