No ‘overnight' fix for monstrous algal bloom lurking off South Australia
Suffocated by the bloom, thousands of dead sea animals have been washing up on South Australian beaches for months.
The bloom, which is thought to be the product of severe east coast flooding in 2022, has reportedly grown to twice the size of the ACT.
Senator Watt will on Monday brief cabinet on the catastrophe before flying from Canberra to Adelaide.
'We've said consistently that we're willing to support the South Australian government as they manage this event and the visit that I'm paying today will ensure that I can keep the cabinet well informed about what the situation is and what support may be required,' he said.
He also said it was 'a naturally occurring phenomena that is not going to be solved overnight'.
'We all want to see those beautiful beaches return to the state they're normally in,' Senator Watt said.
'We want to be able to see recreational and commercial fishers be able to get back to what they're doing and we want to see all those incredible species returned to health.
'We will continue working to support the South Australian government's response.'
The visit to Adelaide signals a change in the Albanese government's handling of the issue.
Senator Watt insisted as recently as last Friday that it was a state issue, brushing off concerns from the Greens and state-level MPs.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Australian
3 hours ago
- The Australian
Clive Palmer accuses solicitor Sam Iskander of Mineralogy ‘theft'
Billionaire Clive Palmer says he has reported his long-time solicitor to police, alleging the lawyer stole $30m in legal fees from his mining company. In an explosive written statement released on Thursday night, former federal MP Mr Palmer alleged that Sam Iskander had stolen about $30m from the businessman's company Mineralogy between 2016 and last month. Mr Palmer said Mineralogy would launch legal action in the Supreme Court on Friday seeking an order to freeze Mr Iskander's assets and said he had reported the matter to police. 'This is the biggest individual fraud in Queensland history and it casts serious doubts over our judicial system,'' Mr Palmer said. A mobile number for Mr Iskander was disconnected and the website for his law firm Alexander Law was not functional on Thursday night. Mr Iskander did not respond to requests for comment via email and voicemail left on the firm's answering service. The Queensland Law Society said on Thursday night that the body was 'aware of the situation and can confirm that Mr Iskander has surrendered his practising certificate and is no longer in practice'. 'Our priority in this situation is to protect the public and execute our duties as co-regulator of the legal profession in Queensland,' a law society spokesman said. 'We are taking all necessary steps to do this in accordance with responsibilities under the Legal Profession Act.' The society's online register of solicitors said Mr Iskander was registered as a solicitor in 2004 and he had an 'unrestricted' practising certificate. Mr Palmer has, at times, made outlandish statements. In 2022, he and then West Australian premier Mark McGowan were both awarded minor damages for defaming each other. The Australian does not suggest Mr Palmer's allegations against Mr Iskander are true, only that they have been made. The Australian understands Mr Palmer claims the alleged offending was discovered when he was compiling a tax return and sought more details about a barrister's fees. He allegedly found that Mr Iskander had told him the barrister's fees were five times more than they actually were, and then pocketed the rest. A forensic audit going back to 2016 allegedly found Mr Iskander had taken $30m, by inflating alleged bills relating to legal cases that he ran for Mr Palmer. Mr Iskander has represented the former federal MP for years, including during Mr Palmer's chequered ownership of the Queensland Nickel refinery in north Queensland and the dismissal of hundreds of workers. In 2019, the refinery said Mr Iskander's law firm was managing the trust account for unpaid workers' entitlements. As recently as January this year, Mr Iskander was filing documents to the High Court on behalf of Mr Palmer in his legal action against the Commonwealth of Australia. That case related to the registration of Mr Palmer's United Australia Party and a dispute with the Australian Electoral Commission. Alexander Law was listed as Mr Palmer's solicitors when the judgment was handed down in May. The former member for the Queensland Sunshine Coast seat of Fairfax lost and was ordered to pay legal costs. In an interview on Thursday night, Mr Palmer said the internal audit of legal fees had led to a complaint being made to police against Mr Iskander and civil legal action, which would be filed on Friday. 'Tomorrow (Friday) in the Supreme Court of Queensland, we're moving against him to get a freezing order against his assets, right?'' Mr Palmer said. 'And it's clear that he's applied a lot of our funds to purchase property throughout Australia, and we have launched caveats on those properties. I can confirm on the record that we've made a complaint to police, yeah, and that they're investigating right now.' Questions were put to Queensland Police but a response was not received before deadline. Read related topics: Clive Palmer Politics Anthony Albanese faces mounting pressure to boost defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP ahead of his first face-to-face meeting with Donald Trump. Defence Pentagon officials warn Australia must lift defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP to meet AUKUS commitments and defend itself adequately.
The Advertiser
5 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Labor running out of time to get Green light to govern
The Greens are calling for Dean Winter to shake his "majority mentality" as the Labor leader and Liberals court support to lead Tasmania. Jeremy Rockliff has been reinstalled as state premier after the governor granted his request to form a minority government. But a planned motion expressing no confidence in the Liberals and confidence in Labor is set to be moved when state parliament returns on August 19. Neither the Liberals with 14 seats nor Labor with 10 won the required 18 to control the lower house in their own right after a snap poll produced a hung parliament. Mr Rockliff and Mr Winter have no formal agreements of support with the 11 minor party MPs and independents. The Liberals pitched a multi-partisan budget panel on Friday as part of draft stability agreement talks with crossbenchers. Immense backlash to the 2025/26 state budget was partially responsible for the original no-confidence motion against Mr Rockliff in early June. Incoming treasurer Eric Abetz, who will be sworn in with the rest of Mr Rockliff's cabinet on Monday, said there was an "appetite" for budget repair among crossbenchers. The former senator refused to "pontificate on budgets past" and wouldn't reveal how his approach would differ to Deputy Premier Guy Barnett, who has been removed as treasurer. Mr Barnett's most recent budget forecast Tasmania heading for $13 billion worth of net debt by 2028. Mr Abetz described debt as "intergenerational theft" and hailed the national budget being whipped into shape as the biggest achievements of the Howard/Costello government that he served in. "That's the challenge here in Tasmania as well now, to get the budget back into shape," he told reporters. His instinct was not to raise the tax burden of Tasmanians to balance the books, but Mr Abetz acknowledged the panel would be open to "all possibilities". "I hope that my place in Tasmanian history is not cemented by being the shortest-lived treasurer in Tasmania," Mr Abetz said. Mr Winter met with all five independent crossbenchers on Thursday to outline his vision for a stable and lasting parliament. Shadow attorney-general Ella Haddad said Mr Winter shared Labor's draft collaboration framework and spruiked plans to shake-up oversight bodies. Labor would work across the chamber, including with the Greens, to win support for the motion, Ms Haddad said. The Clark MP argued the crossbench had a choice between an "energetic, ready, progressive Labor party" or a "tired 11-year-old Liberal government who offers more of the same". Tasmanian Greens Leader Rosalie Woodruff said her party was yet to have a "proper conversation" with Mr Winter and had been "basically blanked". She said the Labor leader remained stuck in a "majority mentality" despite the party's primary vote slumping to 25.9 per cent, 3.1 per cent lower than the 2024 state election. "It doesn't give us a lot of confidence about how he'd operate as premier," Ms Woodruff said. Labor needs the Greens' five lower-house MPs and another three crossbenchers to back the motion for it to pass. The Greens have not set a deadline for the "proper conversations" to be had to earn their support. Compromising on major issues does not mean compromising on values, independent MP Peter George said. "Until now Liberal and Labor seem to think that promising to treat the crossbench better in parliament is just about all they need to do to win support. It is not," he said. The Greens are calling for Dean Winter to shake his "majority mentality" as the Labor leader and Liberals court support to lead Tasmania. Jeremy Rockliff has been reinstalled as state premier after the governor granted his request to form a minority government. But a planned motion expressing no confidence in the Liberals and confidence in Labor is set to be moved when state parliament returns on August 19. Neither the Liberals with 14 seats nor Labor with 10 won the required 18 to control the lower house in their own right after a snap poll produced a hung parliament. Mr Rockliff and Mr Winter have no formal agreements of support with the 11 minor party MPs and independents. The Liberals pitched a multi-partisan budget panel on Friday as part of draft stability agreement talks with crossbenchers. Immense backlash to the 2025/26 state budget was partially responsible for the original no-confidence motion against Mr Rockliff in early June. Incoming treasurer Eric Abetz, who will be sworn in with the rest of Mr Rockliff's cabinet on Monday, said there was an "appetite" for budget repair among crossbenchers. The former senator refused to "pontificate on budgets past" and wouldn't reveal how his approach would differ to Deputy Premier Guy Barnett, who has been removed as treasurer. Mr Barnett's most recent budget forecast Tasmania heading for $13 billion worth of net debt by 2028. Mr Abetz described debt as "intergenerational theft" and hailed the national budget being whipped into shape as the biggest achievements of the Howard/Costello government that he served in. "That's the challenge here in Tasmania as well now, to get the budget back into shape," he told reporters. His instinct was not to raise the tax burden of Tasmanians to balance the books, but Mr Abetz acknowledged the panel would be open to "all possibilities". "I hope that my place in Tasmanian history is not cemented by being the shortest-lived treasurer in Tasmania," Mr Abetz said. Mr Winter met with all five independent crossbenchers on Thursday to outline his vision for a stable and lasting parliament. Shadow attorney-general Ella Haddad said Mr Winter shared Labor's draft collaboration framework and spruiked plans to shake-up oversight bodies. Labor would work across the chamber, including with the Greens, to win support for the motion, Ms Haddad said. The Clark MP argued the crossbench had a choice between an "energetic, ready, progressive Labor party" or a "tired 11-year-old Liberal government who offers more of the same". Tasmanian Greens Leader Rosalie Woodruff said her party was yet to have a "proper conversation" with Mr Winter and had been "basically blanked". She said the Labor leader remained stuck in a "majority mentality" despite the party's primary vote slumping to 25.9 per cent, 3.1 per cent lower than the 2024 state election. "It doesn't give us a lot of confidence about how he'd operate as premier," Ms Woodruff said. Labor needs the Greens' five lower-house MPs and another three crossbenchers to back the motion for it to pass. The Greens have not set a deadline for the "proper conversations" to be had to earn their support. Compromising on major issues does not mean compromising on values, independent MP Peter George said. "Until now Liberal and Labor seem to think that promising to treat the crossbench better in parliament is just about all they need to do to win support. It is not," he said. The Greens are calling for Dean Winter to shake his "majority mentality" as the Labor leader and Liberals court support to lead Tasmania. Jeremy Rockliff has been reinstalled as state premier after the governor granted his request to form a minority government. But a planned motion expressing no confidence in the Liberals and confidence in Labor is set to be moved when state parliament returns on August 19. Neither the Liberals with 14 seats nor Labor with 10 won the required 18 to control the lower house in their own right after a snap poll produced a hung parliament. Mr Rockliff and Mr Winter have no formal agreements of support with the 11 minor party MPs and independents. The Liberals pitched a multi-partisan budget panel on Friday as part of draft stability agreement talks with crossbenchers. Immense backlash to the 2025/26 state budget was partially responsible for the original no-confidence motion against Mr Rockliff in early June. Incoming treasurer Eric Abetz, who will be sworn in with the rest of Mr Rockliff's cabinet on Monday, said there was an "appetite" for budget repair among crossbenchers. The former senator refused to "pontificate on budgets past" and wouldn't reveal how his approach would differ to Deputy Premier Guy Barnett, who has been removed as treasurer. Mr Barnett's most recent budget forecast Tasmania heading for $13 billion worth of net debt by 2028. Mr Abetz described debt as "intergenerational theft" and hailed the national budget being whipped into shape as the biggest achievements of the Howard/Costello government that he served in. "That's the challenge here in Tasmania as well now, to get the budget back into shape," he told reporters. His instinct was not to raise the tax burden of Tasmanians to balance the books, but Mr Abetz acknowledged the panel would be open to "all possibilities". "I hope that my place in Tasmanian history is not cemented by being the shortest-lived treasurer in Tasmania," Mr Abetz said. Mr Winter met with all five independent crossbenchers on Thursday to outline his vision for a stable and lasting parliament. Shadow attorney-general Ella Haddad said Mr Winter shared Labor's draft collaboration framework and spruiked plans to shake-up oversight bodies. Labor would work across the chamber, including with the Greens, to win support for the motion, Ms Haddad said. The Clark MP argued the crossbench had a choice between an "energetic, ready, progressive Labor party" or a "tired 11-year-old Liberal government who offers more of the same". Tasmanian Greens Leader Rosalie Woodruff said her party was yet to have a "proper conversation" with Mr Winter and had been "basically blanked". She said the Labor leader remained stuck in a "majority mentality" despite the party's primary vote slumping to 25.9 per cent, 3.1 per cent lower than the 2024 state election. "It doesn't give us a lot of confidence about how he'd operate as premier," Ms Woodruff said. Labor needs the Greens' five lower-house MPs and another three crossbenchers to back the motion for it to pass. The Greens have not set a deadline for the "proper conversations" to be had to earn their support. Compromising on major issues does not mean compromising on values, independent MP Peter George said. "Until now Liberal and Labor seem to think that promising to treat the crossbench better in parliament is just about all they need to do to win support. It is not," he said. The Greens are calling for Dean Winter to shake his "majority mentality" as the Labor leader and Liberals court support to lead Tasmania. Jeremy Rockliff has been reinstalled as state premier after the governor granted his request to form a minority government. But a planned motion expressing no confidence in the Liberals and confidence in Labor is set to be moved when state parliament returns on August 19. Neither the Liberals with 14 seats nor Labor with 10 won the required 18 to control the lower house in their own right after a snap poll produced a hung parliament. Mr Rockliff and Mr Winter have no formal agreements of support with the 11 minor party MPs and independents. The Liberals pitched a multi-partisan budget panel on Friday as part of draft stability agreement talks with crossbenchers. Immense backlash to the 2025/26 state budget was partially responsible for the original no-confidence motion against Mr Rockliff in early June. Incoming treasurer Eric Abetz, who will be sworn in with the rest of Mr Rockliff's cabinet on Monday, said there was an "appetite" for budget repair among crossbenchers. The former senator refused to "pontificate on budgets past" and wouldn't reveal how his approach would differ to Deputy Premier Guy Barnett, who has been removed as treasurer. Mr Barnett's most recent budget forecast Tasmania heading for $13 billion worth of net debt by 2028. Mr Abetz described debt as "intergenerational theft" and hailed the national budget being whipped into shape as the biggest achievements of the Howard/Costello government that he served in. "That's the challenge here in Tasmania as well now, to get the budget back into shape," he told reporters. His instinct was not to raise the tax burden of Tasmanians to balance the books, but Mr Abetz acknowledged the panel would be open to "all possibilities". "I hope that my place in Tasmanian history is not cemented by being the shortest-lived treasurer in Tasmania," Mr Abetz said. Mr Winter met with all five independent crossbenchers on Thursday to outline his vision for a stable and lasting parliament. Shadow attorney-general Ella Haddad said Mr Winter shared Labor's draft collaboration framework and spruiked plans to shake-up oversight bodies. Labor would work across the chamber, including with the Greens, to win support for the motion, Ms Haddad said. The Clark MP argued the crossbench had a choice between an "energetic, ready, progressive Labor party" or a "tired 11-year-old Liberal government who offers more of the same". Tasmanian Greens Leader Rosalie Woodruff said her party was yet to have a "proper conversation" with Mr Winter and had been "basically blanked". She said the Labor leader remained stuck in a "majority mentality" despite the party's primary vote slumping to 25.9 per cent, 3.1 per cent lower than the 2024 state election. "It doesn't give us a lot of confidence about how he'd operate as premier," Ms Woodruff said. Labor needs the Greens' five lower-house MPs and another three crossbenchers to back the motion for it to pass. The Greens have not set a deadline for the "proper conversations" to be had to earn their support. Compromising on major issues does not mean compromising on values, independent MP Peter George said. "Until now Liberal and Labor seem to think that promising to treat the crossbench better in parliament is just about all they need to do to win support. It is not," he said.
The Australian
6 hours ago
- The Australian
Anthony Albanese set for one-day trip to New Zealand for talks with Christopher Luxon
Anthony Albanese is set to travel to New Zealand for a whirlwind annual leader's meeting with his counterpart Christopher Luxon, where the pair will discuss increased defence and security co-operation and leadership in the Pacific. The Prime Minister will depart on Saturday morning for a short international trip before returning on Sunday afternoon. While Mr Albanese is not expected to use the trip to share any major announcements, conversations with Mr Luxon will focus on strengthening defence and security co-operation, and economic ties, like the Single Economic Market policy which reduces business and economic regulations between the two countries. The leaders will also speak about issues in the Pacific and other international issues. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will meet with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in an overnight trip across the ditch. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short The Israel-Gaza war will likely be discussed following Israel's Security Council approving plans for a takeover of Gaza City, with Foreign Minister Penny Wong warning that the permanent forced displacement of Gazans would amount to a violation of international law. Like Australia, New Zealand also doesn't recognise Palestinian statehood, however it also supports a two-state solution and has called for Israel to increase the amount of humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza. Speaking more broadly about Australia's bond with New Zealand ahead of the trip, Mr Albanese said the relationship was 'unmatched'. 'I am delighted to visit New Zealand to meet with Prime Minister Luxon for our annual leaders' meeting,' he said. 'I look forward to discussing how we can work together to build on our Single Economic Market, modernise the rules-based trading system, deepen our alliance, and back our Pacific partners.' Read related topics: Anthony Albanese Jessica Wang NewsWire Federal Politics Reporter Jessica Wang is a federal politics reporter for NewsWire based in the Canberra Press Gallery. She previously covered NSW state politics for the Wire and has also worked at and Mamamia covering breaking news, entertainment, and lifestyle. @imjesswang_ Jessica Wang
