Press conference, Adelaide

LOUISE MILLER-FROST, MEMBER FOR BOOTHBY: Hi, I’m Louise Miller-Frost, I’m the Federal Member for Boothby, and it’s been fantastic to be here today with the State and Federal Environment Ministers, getting a briefing from SARDI about where the algal bloom came from, what it’s future is and what we can do as a country, or as a local area to help and assist. I will just hand straight over to the Minister.

MURRAY WATT, MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER: Well, thanks very much, Louise. And thanks for your ongoing advocacy, along with a number of other Federal MPs, for the need for action to support South Australians going through this terrible algal bloom that we continue to see day after day, and for emphasising the need for that support. And, again, thank you to Susan Close, my good friend and the Environment Minister here, for your time today and arranging a very thorough briefing from the outstanding scientists here at the South Australian Research and Development Institute. It’s been very helpful to continue building our understanding of what is going on with this algal bloom and what needs to be done. The reality is this is an evolving event. It has gone longer than people expected it would. We are, to some extent, relying on weather conditions to end this algal bloom, and each month the scientists learn more, each month we learn more as politicians about what the situation is and what can be done. So, again I really thank the scientists for this today. Susan and I have also been out on a boat, one of the vessels, to see some of the water sampling take place. So, all of that, as I say, is incredibly useful to inform how we approach this as governments.

The partnership effort between the Federal and South Australian Government has been very strong, and again, I thank Susan and her team and Premier Malinauskas for the work that they’ve done on behalf of South Australians and the work that they’ve been doing with us on this matter as well. You will have seen probably today reported that I have made a decision to ask the Commonwealth Threatened Species Committee to expedite a decision whether to list as threatened species some of the marine life that we are seeing under massive pressure here in South Australia. This is the third form of action that the Albanese Government has taken over the last few weeks to support the South Australian Government and South Australia to deal with this issue.

You will have seen a couple of weeks ago, when I was here, we announced our share of a joint $28 million funding package with the South Australian Government that is now seeing money flow into the hands of businesses who are suffering economic downturns, but also supporting science and research efforts, beach clean-ups and community awareness. So, it’s good to see that money starting to hit people’s bank accounts and also provide that wider support to South Australians. And since that time, we’ve also announced that we will be making a weather tool run by the Bureau of Meteorology, the Commonwealth Bureau of Meteorology, available to the wider public, and that provides forecasting information about what we’re expecting to see in terms of the algal bloom and its effect on marine life. And that will become available to the public over the next couple of months.

So, today’s commitment from me is the third commitment that the Albanese Government has undertaken in the last month to support South Australia. Just to give you a bit of an explanation of how that works, every year the Federal Minister for Environment is presented with a list of species around the country that are under pressure and that it’s proposed to assess whether they should be listed as endangered species or critically endangered species or other classifications. I have made a specific request of the Threatened Species Committee in response to this event that they consider, as a priority, assessing marine life in South Australia to determine whether this event has caused any of that marine life to become threatened species, endangered or critically endangered.

Now, the importance of that is that depending what the Threatened Species Council finds, that may well trigger conservation plans and other responses from governments to deal with that issue. But as we learned in the scientific briefing today and as I think you all understand, because this is an unprecedented event, it has been very difficult for scientists and the community to understand exactly what the impacts of this event have been on marine life. And that’s the importance of engaging the Threatened Species Council, who are experts in the field, to assess the situation and provide advice to governments and to the community on what the situation is and provide advice on how we can deal with it.

So, as much as I congratulate the scientists and the entire community who are working so hard to deal with this event now, we know that we need to know more so that that can inform future responses as well. Now, Susan, I know, has a little bit more to say to you, and then we’ll obviously be happy to take questions.

SUSAN CLOSE, SOUTH AUSTRALIAN MINISTER FOR CLIMATE, ENVIRONMENT AND WATER: Thanks, Minister. And it is wonderful to have Murray Watt down here again, having a look at the algal bloom and being hand in hand with the state government in its response. The thing about the different stages of response of course, we need to make sure the community is well informed, and you’ll have seen there are a number of forums that are being rolled out at present. People can hop on to sa.gov,au and have a look at the algal bloom site. They can register for events near them. We need to make sure the people that are affected by the bloom understand the bloom, because nothing is as empowering as knowledge.

We also have been, of course, supporting industry and we’re rolling out 10,000 and up to $100,000 grants for different industries that have been affected, South Australian companies, South Australian businesses who have been affected by this bloom. And we will be preparing for recovery. The first element of recovery that we’ve already announced is nearly a million dollars being spent on 15 shellfish reefs, reefs that will be able to built in concert with the community, being able to collect old oyster shells, build them into new reefs and putting them into the ocean. One of the great things about bivalves, about oysters, is that they are filter feeders. They clean our oceans, and the more we can get out there, the cleaner our ocean will be. Absolutely essential for restoring the ecosystem as fast as possible to accelerate that recovery. But all of this is dependent on knowledge, on knowing what’s happening out there. And we’ve been able to dramatically increase the amount of water testing we’ve done thanks to the partnership between the State and Federal governments, with the $28 million. There is no way that we can respond to an algal bloom unless we understand where it is and where its concentration is, and that weekly testing now at 76 sites is essential to our mapping of what’s occurring and our understanding of where it will go next.

Again, information is power. So, we are putting ourselves on the internet at the sa.gov.au site, the algal bloom, you can have a look at a dashboard, you can see what those results are step by step. When we approach summer, if we still have the algal bloom here with us, there will be an increasing amount of information provided to people who are going down to the beach so that they can make intelligent decisions about what they do. We must not overreact to this bloom. It is serious. It has been incredibly harmful where it’s been present. But 70 per cent of our coastline has not been affected. We still have a thriving seafood industry. And if people want to support South Australians, whether they’re in South Australia or interstate, buy South Australian seafood, visit a South Australian coastal town, because they are hurting. And, as I say, 70 per cent of the coastline hasn’t even been affected. So, this information flow, clarity, the use of knowledge, the use of science is our pathway through this very difficult time. And I want to thank Murray Watt because right from the start when I first rang him just after he was elected as Minister, I have been talking to him about what we’re doing and how he can help, and he has absolutely been present and ready to help in every way possible. So, we’ll now turn over to questions

JOURNALIST: You said in your opening remarks you’re learning more and more about this crisis every day. Have you learnt enough to declare a natural disaster yet?

MURRAY WATT: Well, as I say, the briefing today certainly built on the information that we’ve been provided with already, and that was incredibly useful. I understand that there is a deep interest in how this event is termed. The way we’ve approached this event as a Federal Government is more like how we respond to a drought than to a flood or a cyclone or a bushfire. And the reason for that, when you think about it, is that natural disasters - bushfires, floods, cyclones – tend to be rapid onset events that come out of nowhere, that come straight through and then move on, leaving a trail of destruction behind them. This event, unfortunately, is more like a drought, which is also not considered to be a natural disaster, and that’s because it’s been building up over a long time. There’s no end in sight until the weather intervenes, and just as we, as a Federal Government, support communities in particular ways through drought, that’s why we’re supporting the South Australian community, providing our share of that $28 million funding. So, from my perspective, the aim has always been to make sure that we are providing the financial and other support that South Australia needs, and that’s what we’ve done.

JOURNALIST: Just taking you up on your apology earlier this week, I mean, it’s been described as lukewarm by people in the industry. Was that apology conceding that you were too slow to act, or was it the perception that you were too slow to act?

MURRAY WATT: Well, I guess the point I’m making is that I can understand the very real frustration and concern that South Australians and all Australians have about this event. It’s incredibly distressing for people, and I think the uncertainty that we all have about how long it will go for, exactly what impact it is having, I can understand, as I say, the frustration and concern that people are feeling. What my focus has been and remains today is how can we be acting as a Federal Government in partnership with the South Australian Government to provide the ongoing support that’s needed, and that’s what we now have delivered.

JOURNALIST: Hang on, you didn’t really answer that question, though. So, you acknowledge you were too slow to act as a Federal Government?

MURRAY WATT: No, what I’m saying is that I understand the frustration and the concern that people feel. And people will have views about how governments have dealt with this, how our government has dealt with this. My focus has been how we can act and, as I say, this is now the third form of action the Albanese Government has taken. And I’ve noticed exactly how hard Premier Malinauskas and his team have been working to deal with this event as well.

JOURNALIST: So, it was a shallow apology, in other words?

MURRAY WATT: I’ll let you describe that however you choose to do.

JOURNALIST: How much worse does this event need to get before it is declared a natural disaster?

MURRAY WATT: Well, as I’ve already said, natural disasters involve rapid onset events, things like floods, cyclones, fires. And they happen so regularly that we have arrangements to deal with those events in place with state governments. This is a different kind of event. My impression from the discussions I’ve had with people around this matter of how it’s described is that there has been a view that a declaration of some kind is the way that we would unlock federal funding. We have unlocked federal funding. We haven’t waited for declarations or how we describe an event to act. What we’ve done is work closely with the South Australian Government to determine what support is needed. And as I’ve said previously, we turned around the request from the South Australian Government within 24 hours of receiving it. So that’s going to keep being our focus – is how can we act, how can we provide the sorts of support that’s needed.

JOURNALIST: Is there going to be more federal funding on the table, though?

MURRAY WATT: Well, I guess we’ll continue to stay in contact with South Australia about what support is required. But I would remind people that that $28 million funding package from both governments, not all of that money has been spent yet, and we obviously want to see that continue to flow. But we’ll obviously remain in contact with the South Australian Government about that.

JOURNALIST: While you were here today a dolphin has washed up on Henley Beach. I mean, that must be pretty confronting for you to see?

MURRAY WATT: Yeah, I mean, as I say, I was out on the water today inspecting the water sampling taking place. But, yeah, as I say, this is an incredibly distressing event for all who see it, whether it be on their TV screens or on their local beaches. And, again, our role as governments is to work with communities and support communities and support the scientific research that’s happening, which is why that funding is being directed towards those causes. I should mention that after we speak with all of you today, we’ll be undertaking a roundtable with a range of businesses, council leaders, community groups to hear directly from them about the experiences they are having and the kind of support that they require. And we will obviously take notice of that feedback.

JOURNALIST: How many businesses will be involved in that roundtable?

MURRAY WATT: I don’t have the exact number on me, sorry. But it’s my understanding is I think it’s over 20 people will be appearing.

JOURNALIST: Will it include people from the regions, businesses from the regions?

MURRAY WATT: Certainly, my understanding, I haven’t reviewed the invitation list, but my understanding is there will certainly be council representatives from some of the regions. I don’t have the full list in front of me.

JOURNALIST: Was the SA Government quick enough to ferry this information about the bloom when it hit in March up the chain to you guys?

MURRAY WATT: Yeah, as I’ve said before, I make no criticism whatsoever of the South Australian Government in the way they’ve responded to this really unusual and unprecedented event. You will have heard the Premier make the point that originally everyone's understanding was that this algal bloom would probably disperse in a matter of a couple of months, because that's what the international experience has been. Unfortunately, of course, it’s ended up going a lot longer than that, and that’s why as the event has unfolded both the State Government and Federal Government have altered their response and upped their response. And, as I say, we’ll stay in close contact with the South Australian Government going forward.

JOURNALIST: I’ve spoken to an oyster farmer who’s actually extended an invite for you to come down to Stansbury. He’s been affected [inaudible] for a hundred days. Would you accept an offer like that, to go meet someone who’s struggling?

MURRAY WATT: I’m sure this won’t be the last time that I’m in South Australia meeting with people, and I’m certainly open to those sorts of meetings happening.

JOURNALIST: Sussan Ley admitted today [inaudible]. Is this another sign of the Federal Government has been too slow in responding to a crisis?

MURRAY WATT: Look, I’ll leave it for Sussan Ley and the Federal Opposition to try to make political point scoring out of this event. Our focus is simply how we can support South Australians and provide the support that they’re looking for.

JOURNALIST: The PM is visiting next week. Can you provide any details on that trip? Is that going to be unlocking more funding? What’s the purpose of this trip?

MURRAY WATT: Well, as I say, I’ll leave it for the Prime Minister to determine what he does and says when he visits South Australia. I have been speaking regularly to the Prime Minister, and I’m sure Premier Malinauskas has as well, to keep the Prime Minister informed. He played a central role in authorising the funding that we have provided to support South Australia through this. And, as I say, I’ll leave it to him to determine what he does while he’s here.

JOURNALIST: Are you surprised the Premier isn’t here today standing alongside you? Do you think he’s distancing himself from the scrutiny that you’re facing over your handling of this crisis?

MURRAY WATT: No, my understanding is the Premier is at an event regarding AUKUS and the defence funding and the defence industry which, of course, is very important to South Australia. So, I think that’s an entirely appropriate thing for him to do.

JOURNALIST: How would you now describe this crisis?

MURRAY WATT: Well, I’ve said I think previously and today there is no doubt that this is a serious environmental event. And it’s unfolding a lot longer and more intensely than anyone expected it would take and it would be. And that’s, again, why we are providing additional support, additional action, just as we’ve done today in making that referral to the Threatened Species Committee.

JOURNALIST: Is Sussan Ley wrong for labelling it’s a natural disaster?

MURRAY WATT: Well, again, I’ll leave it for Sussan Ley to decide what sort of political point scoring she wants to get involved in. I mean, I would have thought that she’s better off spending her time trying to convince her colleagues that climate change is real. I mean, at the very time that we are seeing an event unfold that is at least partly caused by climate change, we have a Federal Opposition who still can’t decide whether they believe in climate change. So, if she wants to spend her time politically point scoring that’s up to her.

JOURNALIST: I mean, isn’t that a bit rich to say though, given that you knocked back funding from scientists that wrote to you about this disaster only four, five months ago?

MURRAY WATT: Well, I actually met with those scientists yesterday –

JOURNALIST: Now you have.

MURRAY WATT: Yeah, I met with those scientists yesterday. We had a very productive and constructive conversation. And you’re entitled to contact them and see how they think the meeting went. But I thought it was a very positive, constructive discussion. They also acknowledged that some of the funding that we are providing in this package is addressing some of the concerns that they have. They argue that there are still gaps in the system, and we’ll keep talking with them and others about that. But we had a very positive discussion. Some of the funding that we are providing is addressing some of their concerns. And they encouraged me to make the referral to the Threatened Species Committee, which I’ve now done.

JOURNALIST: Is more funding coming if this crisis continues into spring and summer?

MURRAY WATT: Look, I think it’s a bit premature to be talking about what this event will do and what funding might be required. And, again, I’d make the point that not all of the money that has been provided, the $28 million, has been spent yet. So, I think what we want to do is make sure that that funding is used in the way it was intended, and I’m sure that it will be. But we’ll keep the situation under review going forward.

JOURNALIST: Did you feel pressured to make that apology?

MURRAY WATT: No, no. I mean, as I say, I think it’s the third time that I’ve said this now – I absolutely understand the frustration and the concern that South Australians are feeling about this event. And I think it’s important that leaders acknowledge that. And most leaders, you know, all the leaders involved in this have done so. And what we need to do is work out exactly what needs to be done, take the action that’s required, and that’s what we’ve done and that’s what we’ll keep doing.  

JOURNALIST: Minister Close, if that’s all right, I’ll just get you. I mean, what do you say to the refusal from the Feds that they still refuse to declare this a natural disaster?

SUSAN CLOSE: I’ve chosen not to get caught up in the semantics. There is an exhaustive list that ticks boxes of being a natural disaster according to federal guidelines. Algal blooms aren’t on the list. I accept that. What I’m interested in, as is Minister Murray Watt, is outcomes. And so, if we can’t go through one door, we’ll go through another. And we got the 14 million that we asked for and we’re really grateful for that. In due course there will have to be a really big conversation in Australia about how we deal with crises that occur as a result of climate change, because we’re going to see more of them [indistinct] but that’s a big discussion to have. I’m really thrilled that Murray Watt has been so responsive [indistinct].

JOURNALIST: So, has the State Government given up all hope on this being declared a natural disaster, or are you still lobbying them?

SUSAN CLOSE: Look, we have stated that we believe it is a natural disaster just by the language that common people use. It’s natural and it’s a disaster. But in terms of the criteria of the Federal Government, that really is up to them. If they choose to change it, they choose to change it. But the only reason that we were asking about that is because we wanted money, and we got the money.

JOURNALIST: Are discussions still happening, though, about being –

SUSAN CLOSE: I am so not interested in talking about semantics with – when I’m spending time with the Federal Government. I’m absolutely interested in talk about what we’re seeing, what we’re experiencing and what help we need. And so that’s the nature of the discussions that I’ll be continuing to have with them.

JOURNALIST: Do you think the Federal Minister did have anything to apologise for?

SUSAN CLOSE: Look, I think commentary is absolutely legitimate. Have a look backwards, see what you think. But what we’re doing is we’re talking about the future. I’ve been dealing with this since March. I’ve been in front of you guys constantly since then talking about what we’re doing, talking about what we’re seeing and the best available scientific knowledge. We always bring scientists along with us so you can ask us those detailed questions so that the facts are at the forefront of how we deal with this. That’s what matters to me, not semantics and not political commentary. I’m deeply, deeply saddened by what’s happened to our marine environment and what’s happened to all of those businesses and communities that are dependent upon it being healthy. I’m utterly focused on making sure that people are equipped with the knowledge they need and that we are preparing for recovery.

JOURNALIST: How hopeful are we that South Australians can enjoy our beaches by summer and spring?

SUSAN CLOSE: Look, hopefully - it becomes a matter of judgement, doesn’t it? It is possible that the bloom will recede in the next few weeks. That would be brilliant. Of course we’d all be really grateful for that, but you can’t build plans based on something that you hope will come to pass. We’ve had to prepare for it continuing to be with us for summer. We’re working hard on a summer plan right now. We’ve got a meeting next week with all the surf life saving clubs. We’re looking at ways in which we can simplify and clarify the information to people so they can make a judgement about whether they go to the beach or not. And, again, we’re urging people not to stay away just because they think there might be an algal bloom, because for 70 per cent of our coastline, there just isn’t. And even where there is, you can still go down and go to a restaurant. You can still stay at an Airbnb and you can still buy the seafood. So, we’re preparing this plan with the realistic expectation that it could still be with us. And if it isn’t, we can all celebrate.

JOURNALIST: A dolphin’s washed up today on Henley Beach. I mean, do you think people now feel like it is safe to swim there?

SUSAN CLOSE: Look, it’s hard to say because with each individual marine mammal that we see because marine mammals to die and they do get washed up. It happens every year. It just doesn’t get the media attention because there hasn’t been an algal bloom. What we think is most likely happening, say, with dolphins is that if it is connected to the bloom it’s because they’re struggling to find food because the fish have died. We’ve not yet found any poisoning in any dolphins where we’ve been able to do a necropsy. So, it isn’t about mammals being poisoned; it may be about the food chain being disrupted and they’re not getting enough food. Or it may just be that they would have died of natural causes anyway and they’ve washed up. Every winter we will get marine mammals washing up on our coastline. So, I just ask people to have a little think about the context and equip themselves with the information that we're trying to make available via the scientists.

JOURNALIST: It must have been pretty distressing to see that this morning?

SUSAN CLOSE: I didn’t see the dolphin this morning. I have seen dead dolphins. I’ve been involved in caring about dolphins since I was about 19 years old and started volunteering with Greenpeace – a very long time ago. So, I care about dolphins, adore dolphins, live in Port Adelaide. But occasionally dolphins die.

JOURNALIST: Murray Watt apologised for being too slow to respond to the crisis. Does the South Australian Government owe South Australians an apology?

SUSAN CLOSE: Look, I think the South Australian Government has been recognised by the South Australian people as having reached in and lent into this and done everything that we can do. I’ve been involved in a number of forums. The Premier has led a number. He was just down at Victor Harbour last night and that’s not the tone of what we’re hearing from South Australians. We’re hearing of a thirst for knowledge and also some sense of where is this going to go and is there anything we can do to help it. I’ve dealt personally over several months with businesses that have been affected and they’re grateful for the support that we’ve offered to date. They’re anxious about the future, but they know that the South Australian Government will stand with them side by side.