The Liberal Party would reconsider backing Tasmania’s salmon farming industry if evidence shows there would be irreversible environmental damage as a result, the opposition environment spokesman says.
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However, science suggests a critically endangered species and the industry can co-exist, he says.
Speaking on ABC Radio National earlier, Tasmanian Liberal Senator Jonno Duniam said his party wanted to finalise laws this week to protect the future of Tasmania’s salmon industry.
He criticised Labor for waiting until “the 11th hour” to do so and said it was his “firm view” that the native species of Maugean skate – found only in Macquarie Harbour, on Tasmania’s remote west coast – could co-exist with the salmon farming industry.
“If evidence finds that there would be irreversible damage and [skate] extinction resulting in that, then we would need to revisit this decision, absolutely,” Duniam said. “But today, the science doesn’t point to that.
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“There is science pointing to the fact that the industry can co-exist with the skate, and indeed conditions in the harbour are better than they’ve been in a decade.”
The future of salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour has been uncertain since 2023 when environment groups challenged the government’s approval for the industry, due to its impacts on the critically endangered Maugean skate.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has stared down a rare backbench revolt over his unilateral call to protect Tasmanian salmon farms.
