
SA premier defies Canberra and declares toxic algae bloom a ‘natural disaster'
On Tuesday, South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas said some of the funding is for immediate relief.
'We've asked for $14 million which is a line to a suite of measures that we have formulated as a state government and we believe will make a difference on the ground,' he said.
'We are saying as a state government, and this is where I guess there is a point of difference between us and our federal colleagues, that we believe this should be declared as a natural disaster formally. That would unlock federal funding.
'This is a natural disaster, I think it needs to be treated as a natural disaster.'
There will be small business grants for $10,000 to eligible businesses along with financial counselling, mental health support and workforce advice.
This will also be in addition to previous fee relief and $1500 direct support payments to affected primary producers.
Funding will also include public information campaigns to rebuild confidence in impacted industries, as consumers remain uncertain about the safety of SA seafood.
A further $8.5 million towards a coastal monitoring network to be established was announced along with a fresh $2 million for a national biotoxins and algal blooms testing laboratory in SA.
Malinauskas said $3 million would be set aside for a rapid assessment of fish stocks and fisheries as the algae event has killed thousands of fish and marine life across the Fleurieu and Yorke peninsulas.
The SA Government has also flagged its intention to analyse citizen science records and develop a dedicated harmful algal bloom response plan for future events.
Local councils will also receive funding for beach clean-ups.

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Perth Now
a day ago
- Perth Now
‘No solution' to ‘toxic' Aussie beach crisis
An 'unprecedented' natural disaster that has killed thousands of marine creatures, sparked orders to stay out of the water, and gutted parts of the local tourism sector has scientists alarmed, with no sign of an end in sight. The Algae bloom parked up just off the coast of South Australia has persistently held its position inside the St Vincent Gulf since it was first officially reported in March, after visitors of the Waitpinga Beach on South Australia's Fleurieu Peninsula began reporting illness. The toxic bloom has killed hundreds of sea creatures, caused illness in humans and sparked orders for swimmers to stay out of affected vary on how many creatures have been killed by the bloom, but it is understood there have been recorded deaths among more than 200 different species of sea life. Even more alarmingly, there doesn't seem to be any respite in sight. Snapshot of Chlorophyll-A concentrations around the South Australian coastline on July 23. Source: Integrated Marine Observing System Credit: Supplied Dr Nina Wootton, a Marine Scientist from the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Adelaide, said tracking the outbreak of the Algae bloom was difficult, but it could have something to do with the Murray River flooding in 2022/23. 'Obviously there's a lot of run-off that goes into the Murray, and then this has potentially pushed some of these algae species out into the marine environment, and it's sort of just been sitting there dormant. And then when we see perfect conditions arise, it can then bloom,' she told NewsWire. 'Somehow this species has gotten there, and then we have a range of different environmental factors that have caused this perfect storm of events,' she said. 'When things are hot and still, (the algae) grow, and this species has just boomed because there's been nothing there to break it up naturally.' Fatalities have been recorded among more than 200 marine species as the toxic algae bloom shows no signs of disappearing any time soon. Supplied Credit: News Corp Australia Although millions of dollars have been committed to clean up and research, Dr Wootton said the cure was ultimately in the hands of mother nature. 'The thing that's so hard is there's not really a solution to get rid of this bloom,' Dr Wootton said. 'The main way we're going to be able to do it is hopefully cross our fingers and toes that we have good weather conditions and we have some strong winter storms over the next couple of months that will break it up and eventually blow it off the coast. That's all we can really hope for now … to get rid of it naturally at least,' she said. 'It could be up to 18 months. Some scientists are predicting that we're going to continue to see deaths of animals for up to 18 months if we don't have these winter storms breaking it up.' University of Adelaide Microbial Ecologist Dr Christopher Keneally said even though 'you can't really see them,' algae blooms can have serious impacts on wildlife, and can even affect humans. The toxic algae bloom is impacting the waters around the Southern Fleurieu Peninsula, Yorke Peninsula and Kangaroo Island, with locals reporting painful symptoms, including sore eyes, shortness of breath and skin irritations. Credit: Supplied Dead sea life has been spotted washed up at West Beach, despite hopes cold weather would put a stop to the toxic algae bloom. SharkWatch SA Facebook Credit: News Corp Australia 'Algae blooms have a massive impact on fish … they concentrate toxins – especially into shellfish – and cause a lot of damage,' he said. 'It's not as much of a problem for mammals like dolphins and human beings … but people in southern Australia have been noticing that there's a bit of eye irritation and throat and lung irritation that happens when they go out into the water when there's an algae bloom happening.' Dr Keneally stressed while we don't hear about it often, events like this are 'similar to a bushfire or other environmental catastrophes'. 'It can be quite scary when something like this happens, especially when you don't know what to expect … getting people used to the idea of it potentially happening in their own coastal waters is important when it comes to awareness.' 'The rapid mobilisation of Australia's research is going to be really important to forecasting these things and looking at mitigation in the future … we need to take action, or otherwise these things are going to become the new normal.' Dead sea life from algal blooms at Foul Bay, Yorke Peninsula. Stefan Andrews courtesy Great Southern Reef Foundation Credit: Supplied Shadow Water, Fisheries and Forestry and Emergency Management Minister Ross Cadell spoke to ABC Radio earlier this week about the emotional and economic impacts of algal blooms on local communities. 'You walk along the Ardrossan wharf and see garfish and King George whiting on the ground dying,' he said. 'You talk to the businesses and the Port Vincent gift shop is down (in sales) 15 per cent. 'The Stansbury caravan park, in the 48 hours before I got there, (had) 10-12 cancellations of November holidays because people are fearful of going in the water.' SA Premier Peter Malinauskas announced the Commonwealth government had provided a $14 million care package to South Australia which 'covers industry support, science and research, communications, community support and clean-up'. 'I want to thank the Commonwealth for their contribution … towards this effort,' he said 'We stand ready to deliver additional support if and when it is needed.'

ABC News
3 days ago
- ABC News
SA disability employment provider Bedford hopes for government funding lifeline
Disability employment provider Bedford is hoping the federal government will throw it a financial lifeline to avoid the company entering voluntary administration. But Minister for Health, Ageing and Disability Mark Butler has warned the government does not usually put taxpayer money into a "failing organisation". In a statement on Thursday, Bedford said it would enter voluntary administration on Sunday, July 27 after an "exhaustive negotiation process with the state and federal governments, banking and commercial partners NAB". This morning on ABC Radio Adelaide, the organisation's chair Janet Miller said Bedford still hoped to avoid closure, and blamed the NDIS for its current position. ""We're hoping that we don't go into voluntary administration but if we do, what happens on Monday is out of our control, that would be up to the administrator," she said. "The model has evolved. It's very difficult to make the NDIS model work, it's not sustainable." Ms Miller said the organisation believed its strategy was "still sound" and that it had "a good balance sheet". She said the state government had already put money on the table and that the federal government was still considering it. "Our plea to stop us going into voluntary administration this week, we just need a commitment for that money to be available," she said. But Mr Butler told ABC News Breakfast, while talks were continuing, he believed the organisation's financial situation was dire. "We have been talking to them. It's not usual for the Federal Government to give money to an organisation that is failing financially before it goes into administration," he said. He reiterated those comments later on ABC Radio Adelaide. "I'm not clear that there wouldn't be the need for more money beyond the several weeks that that might give to them," he said. On Thursday, a federal government spokesperson said Bedford had received tens of millions of dollars in funding in the past 15 months alone. "The Australian government has been supporting the South Australian government's discussions with Bedford in recent weeks," the spokesperson said. According to its website, Bedford is the second-largest employer of people with disabilities in the nation, and has 22 sites across Adelaide and regional South Australia. The employment provider was established in April 1945 and has this year been celebrating its 80th anniversary. Employee Kym told ABC Radio Adelaide he had worked with the organisation for 11 years. "We were told that they're going to have a meeting with the president on Sunday and everyone would be notified what would happen," he said. "[We] could be closing down if we don't get the money to help us out." He said he felt "little bit sad" upon hearing the news but was trying to support his co-workers yesterday. Mr Butler said he felt for the employees. "I desperately want a future for Bedford," he said. "We understand very acutely the unique nature of this organisation, it's not just some other business that's got itself into difficulty. Premier Peter Malinauskas said his thoughts were primarily with the workers at Bedford, and the state government's offer for funding was still in place. "The question is the money that we do put on the table, does that best address those workers' future through the administration process or staving off administration and seeing a rebound plan initiated under Bedford's current economic arrangements," he said. "They are the deliberations that we've been working on frankly since May, June. We continue those discussions today." He said the state government's financial support would be conditional, but would not provide details on those conditions. "Not for one second do I think we should question the intent of the people that work there, including at the most senior levels of Bedford, the board, the CEO and the senior management, these are good people who want to do a good thing for the people they employed and the services they provide," he said.

Sky News AU
5 days ago
- Sky News AU
Support ‘on the way' for South Australian marine life
Sky News Australia Reporter Monique Van Der Heyden says support is 'on the way' for South Australia's coast after dead marine life has been washed up on shore since March due to an algal bloom. 'Support is on the way for South Australian communities impacted by the toxic algal bloom in the form of a $28 million package,' Ms Van Der Heyden said. 'The funding will assist with further research as a new national testing laboratory will be established to detect algae and the harmful brevotoxin they produce. 'The $28 million is a one-off payment but the state government unlike the commonwealth has not ruled out any further support.'