Press conference in Adelaide, South Australia

LOUISE MILLER-FROST, MEMBER FOR BOOTHBY: My name is Louise Miller-Frost. I am the member for Boothby in South Australia. My electorate covers Glenelg North down to meet Marino Rocks in terms of beach. And this is something that I have heard a great deal from my local community. We love our oceans, we love our beaches, we love our eagle rays down at Marino Rocks. And to see what is happening is absolutely heartbreaking. We have heard for so many years that climate change will raise water temperatures, and it will have a catastrophic effect on our local marine life, and to actually see it happening is heartbreaking. So, I've been in contact with both Susan Close and Murray Watt and I'm really thrilled that Murray's here today.

MURRAY WATT, MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER: Thanks very much, Louise, thanks Premier, and thanks Deputy Premier for your ongoing work on this very serious environmental event that is facing South Australia. Thank you to Louise and all of my South Australian colleagues for the relentless advocacy they've been undertaking over the last few weeks as this event has unfolded. It has definitely led to us taking a position, which I'm happy to take you through today.

As I say, there's no doubting whatsoever that this is a very serious environmental event facing South Australia, and I recognise it's been incredibly disturbing for all South Australians and indeed the country. I recognise the environmental impact that it's having on South Australian marine life, I recognise the economic impact that it's having on a range of industries and I recognise the emotional toll that it's taking on South Australians as they seek to walk along their beaches, have to put off swimming or surfing or other activities because of the conditions that they're facing, and that incredibly distressing site of having marine life washed up dead onshore. This is an unprecedented event, and as Louise has said, it is an indication of the type of events that we are likely to face as a nation and as a world in the future due to climate change.

As I've said previously, the algal bloom is situated within South Australian controlled waters, but we've made clear consistently that we stand ready as a Federal Government to support the South Australian Government as they lead the management of the response to this event. As part of that, I've been in regular contact with Susan Close, the Deputy Premier, for some time now, I spoke to Premier Malinauskas this morning as well. Our officials from the Federal department, my department and along with others have been again working with their State officials and State counterparts for quite a long time now, and you would have seen last week that I sent the head of our Oceans Division to Adelaide to work even more closely with the South Australian officials, and to get a better understanding about exactly what would be needed by the South Australian Government to assist them in the response to this event.

You will have seen it was reported that this morning in Canberra I briefed the Federal Cabinet on the unfolding situation, and a number of other Ministers certainly made their views known about this as well. And I can tell you that the Federal Cabinet was unified in recognising that this is a very serious event facing South Australia, and that we need to step up Federal Government support for South Australia as they lead the response effort here. So, I'm very pleased today to be able to tell you that Federal Cabinet has approved a one off $14 million package of Federal Government funding support for South Australia, and this meets the requests from the South Australian Government that we received yesterday. As you can see, we've turned this around very quickly having received the requests formally from South Australia yesterday, but I do recognise that that request follows some very detailed discussions with South Australia that have been occurring for some time. Having officials here on the ground last week has helped finalise what that request would be and having received that we've been able to turn that around very quickly.

Now there will need to be some further discussions between ourselves and the South Australian Government about exactly the details of how that funding is used, but it's intended to deal with a number of short term requirements and some of the longer term needs that South Australia is going to face as it recovers from this event. And as I say, while details are yet to be finalised, and we'll continue those discussions over the next couple of days, I would expect that it's likely that this funding from the Federal Government will support activities like cleaning up the beaches and removing some of that marine life that has been washed onshore, it's likely to support business assistance, because we again, we acknowledge that there are businesses doing it really tough as a result of this event. It's likely that this support will also provide further community awareness about what this event involves and how people should be dealing with it. And importantly, looking more long term, there's clearly a need to invest more in science and research about this event on top of the substantial resources that we and the State Government are already putting into science and research, and I would expect that this funding would go some way to meet that requirement as well.

I'll be inspecting the beaches this afternoon myself, once we've spoken with you. And just to finalise before I hand over to the Premier, as I've said previously, the reality is we are in uncharted waters here, this is an unprecedented event, and one of the difficulties has been understanding exactly what its impacts are and what sort of response is required, and again, I thank the South Australian Government, in particular the Deputy Premier for the discussions we've been having to help shape that and help work out what is the best way that we can respond. So unfortunately, I think by now all South Australians know that we won't solve this overnight, we are to some extent relying on weather conditions to help disperse the algal bloom, but as you can see from this announcement today, the Federal Government remains absolutely willing to support South Australia in its management of this effort, and will continue to work with South Australia as this unfolds.

I'll just now introduce the Premier, and of course happy to take questions.

PETER MALINAUSKAS, PREMIER OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA: Well, thanks, Murray, it's great to be here with you as well as Louise and of course Susan. To the members of the media that are present here, obviously we had the opportunity to meet earlier today, and during the course of that press conference I made clear my gratitude towards Susan in her capacity as the Deputy Premier and Minister for Environment over the last couple of weeks working so hard to make sure that the State Government is on the front foot in confronting the challenge regarding the algal bloom, which of course critically included working collaboratively with the Commonwealth to get us to the point that we are now.

This morning, as I mentioned earlier, I had the opportunity to speak to Murray, you were getting ready to go into Cabinet early this morning, Minister, we are very grateful that Cabinet concluded that it would determine to support the South Australian Government's efforts to the tune of $14 million to confront the challenge of the algal bloom. This is welcome funding. Minister Watt made a really important point that I think has been made repeatedly throughout the course of the algal bloom, and I suspect we'll continue to hear over the weeks, and even potentially months ahead, this is unprecedented, which means, of course, this type of support from the Commonwealth to be delivered is unusual in nature, and for that reason, amongst many others, we are very grateful for that support. It will go a long way to assisting the people that have been affected most harshly through this algal bloom, but also critically, we can turn our minds to how we better prepare for these types of events into the future, knowing that tragically they are likely to occur into the future, which means we have to understand them better.

Our oceans are some of the most dynamic environments on the planet, and they are constantly changing. Some of those changes have very severe consequences, particularly in the context of climate change, and we simply must learn more about it, because this reality isn't going away any time soon, and it is here with us for a long time to come. And as a State Government we remain utterly committed to make sure that we're at the forefront of using science to better deploy public policy effort, including how that is communicated to the South Australian community more broadly.

So this is positive news, it is very welcome news. I was down there first thing this morning on my first day back from leave, actually on the coastline meeting officials, seeing dead marine life myself, and it is confronting. For people that are so familiar with our Marine environment and our extraordinary coastline, walking along it and seeing dead fish, dead marine life isn't something we're accustomed to in South Australia, and it's an awful reality that we have no choice but to confront and seek to tackle. More than that, earlier today I made clear that tomorrow we've convened an Emergency Management Cabinet Committee meeting. We'll hear more scientific evidence produced at that meeting and the State Government will be making its own deliberations around how we also match this Commonwealth effort in terms of funding. Naturally this is something we've already turned our mind to, but we will be officially making some decisions tomorrow, and we look forward to updating the South Australian community on that in the next 24 hours.

But right now, we stand here very grateful for this decision that the Federal Cabinet has made. When I spoke to you earlier this morning, Minister Watt, I wasn't too sure exactly how those discussions would play out, so standing here right now we are very grateful indeed, and thank you for your advocacy and the hard work that was undertaken, particularly by a number of officials that were made getting us to this point.

JOURNALIST: Minister Watt, you referred to it as a serious problem. The Premier this morning referred to it very emphatically as a natural disaster. What is it, one or the other?

MURRAY WATT: Well, from my point of view there's no doubting that this is a serious environmental event. My focus -

JOURNALIST: So are they wrong, is the Premier wrong?

MURRAY WATT: No, not at all, not at all, I mean different people will have different descriptions of this event. From my perspective there is no doubting whatsoever, I guess I'm trying to make the point that we are not underplaying the significance of this event, it is very serious, facing South Australia. My focus has been marshalling Federal resources to have delivered to South Australia as quickly as possible, and that's what we've done today.

JOURNALIST: But quite simply, if it's a natural disaster, you're talking about a one off payment. That would change the parameters. If you said it was a natural disaster, could it be that we have ongoing funding?

MURRAY WATT: Well, I guess the point I'm making is that we have managed outside the usual natural disaster framework to marshal the type of resources that South Australia has asked for and we have now delivered. That's been my focus in the last few days.

JOURNALIST: So why have you chosen to marshal it outside of the normal disaster funding?

MURRAY WATT: Well, I think you're aware that the fact is that as the Commonwealth's Natural Disaster Framework currently exists, it doesn't consider an event like this to be a natural disaster. I was just saying to the Premier on the way in here, we first met when I was the Emergency Management Minister, and we were coming here to announce funding to support South Australia after it experienced those terrible floods a couple of years ago, and the Commonwealth's Natural Disaster Framework considers events like floods, cyclones and bushfires to be natural disasters, and if they're declared as such they attract a range of funding. What I've been focused on doing is not focusing on existing frameworks but trying to understand what support South Australia needs and delivering that as quickly as possible.

JOURNALIST: Do you need to change that framework?

MURRAY WATT: Look, I think that's a matter for another day. What I've been really focused on, as I say, is getting South Australia the resources that it needs. These resources will flow through a range of different Federal departments, not just mine. That's, as I say, having worked out with South Australia what is required, that's been the focus is getting those resources, 'cause I think that's mostly what people want to see is action and resources being put on the table.

JOURNALIST: It's seems like we’re going to need to expect more than just this 14 million, so we talk about what it needs, but if we're going to need more than 14 million why can't you change the framework to open up those existing funds?

MURRAY WATT: Well, I don't think that anyone is in a position yet to predict exactly how this event is going to unfold. As you're aware, we are expecting in Adelaide and South Australia this week some very significant storms, and you know, even today there's pretty wild weather out there, and I think all South Australians are hoping that the weather will intervene in such a way that this algal bloom does disperse, but none of us know that for certain.  What we're saying is right now we are ready to put $14 million on the table regardless of disaster frameworks, regardless of what might happen in the future, we recognise that South Australians want to see support from their Federal Government now, and that's what we're committing.

JOURNALIST: But as the Premier said, Minister, it's likely that this will occur in the future, most of the experts that have been speaking on this topic have said so as well. Would that not mean that this criteria does need a change of how we define a natural disaster, so we are ready for these events to happen later down the line?

MURRAY WATT: Well, as I say, I think we'll be able to give consideration to those kind of issues at another stage, but right now we are in the middle of this very serious event, and my focus has been delivering the resources that South Australia has asked for, and clearly that South Australia needs.

JOURNALIST: Most South Australians, many South Australians would say it's been too slow, we could see this coming for weeks, if not months ago, your visit is too late; too little too late, some might say. How would you answer that?

MURRAY WATT: Well, people will form their own conclusions about that. As I say, we have been working very closely with South Australia at both ministerial and public service level for quite some time now. We haven't just picked up the phone for the first time on the weekend. This is about building on the work that's already occurred, and as I say, we have recognised that there is a need to act from a Federal perspective, and that's what we've done.

JOURNALIST: How did you come to this number of 14 million if we're not actually sure how we're going to spend it yet?

MURRAY WATT: That was the amount of money that the South Australian Government asked for in the request that they put to us over the weekend, and they have identified some areas where it is likely to need that funding, and they were the kind of headings that I took you through before. But as I say, we've got to work through some further details. The Premier has foreshadowed that the South Australian Government will be considering its own support as early as tomorrow. So once that becomes clear, we'll be able to have those discussions about exactly what is funded, but it will involve, as I say, issues like science and research, business assistance, clean up of the beaches, and also community awareness.

JOURNALIST: Will you decide how it's spent, or will the South Australian Government decide?

MURRAY WATT: I think we're mature enough and we get along well enough that we'll be able to work that out by agreement.

JOURNALIST: Are South Australians owed an apology for this taking, the perception at least that this has taken so long when probably doubtless if it happened on the Gold Coast, your own place, or Sydney, the Prime Minister's own place, there would have been a lot more attention paid to it a lot earlier?

MURRAY WATT: Look, I'm aware that South Australians have that feeling that it's been dealt with in a certain way, and again, I can't, you know, influence the way that South Australians react to that. I hope that South Australians can see that given we have turned around this request from South Australia quite quickly, not a small amount of money to deal with a wide range of issues, that they can see that our Government is acting in a way that supports South Australia.

JOURNALIST: Are you sorry for not acting earlier?

MURRAY WATT: Look, as I say, the point, I guess, is that we have been having these discussions for quite some time. It's not as if Susan and I spoke about this for the first time last week. I accept that people haven't seen that happening in public, but look, I've heard the calls from South Australians that they wanted to see a Federal Government Minister on the ground dealing with the situation and bringing support, and that's what I've done today.

JOURNALIST: Why wasn't it brought to the Prime Minister? Mark Butler for instance last week said that he hadn't even spoken to him about it, giving the impression it wasn't important enough.

MURRAY WATT: Yeah. Well, I was in contact with the Prime Minister last week while he was overseas, I spoke with him again about it further over the weekend, and of course he played an active role in our Cabinet discussions today.

JOURNALIST: Did you not feel that it was appropriate to come down earlier than today, given that this has been going on for months, even to inspect before we get a dollar amount from the South Australian Government?

MURRAY WATT: Well, as I say, what I've decided was the important thing that I spent my time on is understanding through Susan in particular and the South Australian Government exactly what was needed and then getting the agreement of Cabinet colleagues to get that money done. I'll leave it for other people to make their conclusions about whether that was the right prioritisation.

JOURNALIST: During your time here, will you be visiting any of the oyster farmers or fisheries who have had a shutdown as a result?

MURRAY WATT: I think it's probably unlikely. As you probably know, we're in the middle of our - we're about to start our first week of Parliament. As it is I’m missing some pretty major meetings in Parliament today, but obviously it's important to come here, but I will be inspecting some beaches this afternoon.

JOURNALIST: Do you understand, though, that fisheries and oyster farmers may be frustrated that you haven't, I guess, assigned the time to come and meet with them?

MURRAY WATT: Sure. Again, people will make their own decisions about those things. But the support that I've outlined, which the South Australian Government may have more to say about tomorrow as well, part of that is intended to support those types of operators.

JOURNALIST: Minister, doesn't it feed South Australians dissatisfaction that you only raised it with Prime Minister last week? Shouldn't you have raised it earlier?

MURRAY WATT: Again, I'll let people make their own decisions about who I should be calling at what point in time. But this is an event that I've been monitoring very closely, working with Susan and the South Australian Government, working with other Ministers who have a responsibility here, this of course goes beyond my portfolio. That's how I've chosen to prioritise my time and I'm pleased that it's come to fruition with the package being supported.

JOURNALIST: Minister, how can South Australians watching this at home tonight be assured that they're going to be helped or the beaches are going to be saved when we don't exactly know how the money is going to be spent?

MURRAY WATT: Well, I think it won't be too much longer that you'll have to wait to get the precise details of how that's going to be funded. Of course, we are in discussions with the South Australian Government about what they're intending to put on the table as well. But I've been pretty clear in saying that this funding will address matters like cleaning up the beaches, supporting the businesses that are affected, communications and public awareness, and also the longer-term science and research. So, they're the types of things that it will be used for. They are the kind of things that I've seen South Australians calling for and most importantly, they're the things that the South Australian Government have asked for.

JOURNALIST: Could you have responded to this sooner if you had of gotten a letter like you received from the Premier earlier?

MURRAY WATT: I've got no criticism whatsoever of the South Australian Government. As I say, we've been talking about the types of support that would be needed for some time. As I say, this is an unprecedented event, and we've had to work through exactly what kind of support would be required. Of course, the impacts have continued building the longer this has gone on and so now we're in a position to understand what support is required.