Latest news with #MarkButler
Perth Now
5 days ago
- Health
- Perth Now
‘Never seen before': Shock pics of algal bloom
Federal Health Minister Mark Butler has spoken about the devastating toxic algal bloom in his home state of South Australia as new pictures reveal the scale of the disaster. It follows accusations that 'virtually nothing' has been done by the federal government about the bloom. The algal bloom, called Karenia mikimotoi, is a naturally occurring but deadly phenomenon that has killed marine life in the southern state for months. Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has been pressuring the government to declare the toxic algae a 'national disaster'. 'If this was happening in Bondi, or on the North Shore in Sydney, the Prime Minister would have already been on the beach, talking to concerned locals and the affected industries,' Senator Hanson-Young said on Wednesday. 'But today, we've had virtually nothing from the federal government.' Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has been calling for the government to do more. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia Mr Butler, who represents the Hindmarsh electorate in Adelaide's west, spoke out about the devastation on Sunrise. 'We've never seen a bloom like this, of this scale, of this duration anywhere in Australia,' he said. 'It is incredibly serious. 'I was walking on the beach on the weekend, I saw a dead shark, dead rays – a number of dead rays – dead fish, dead cuttlefish, things I've never seen before in the decades of walking along Adelaide's beaches.' Mark Butler defended the government's response to the algal bloom. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia He said the federal government was working closely with the South Australian government to monitor the bloom but insisted that it was a 'huge ecological event' that couldn't be controlled any more 'than we can make it rain during a drought'. 'We have to understand the impact it is having on communities, and it's a huge impact on the Adelaide community, I can tell you, but also on businesses, on commercial enterprises, particularly in the fishing industry,' Mr Butler said. South Australia's marine ecosystem is being rocked by a harmful algal bloom. Great Southern Reef Foundation Credit: Supplied Shocking footage shows the scale of dead marine life. Great Southern Reef Foundation Credit: Supplied Great Southern Reef Foundation (GRSF) video captures the scale of the disaster, showing dead fish, discoloured water and decaying coral along South Australia's Yorke Peninsula. GRSF co-founder Stefan Andrews said: 'With neon green water, the seabed was littered with dead and dying animals.' The ecosystem is being damaged by the deadly algae across the state. Great Southern Reef Foundation Credit: Supplied GRSF co-founder Stefan Andrews described the 'neon green water' that was 'littered with dead and dying animals'. Great Southern Reef Foundation Credit: Supplied Environment Minister Murray Watt previously said the government was 'deeply concerned by the widespread marine species mortalities caused by this extreme event' and he was getting updates from the Malinauskas government. 'We will give careful consideration to any request for assistance we receive from the state government,' he said.
AU Financial Review
5 days ago
- Politics
- AU Financial Review
Time has come to act on marine crisis, ministers to tell PM
A clutch of senior South Australian cabinet ministers, including those in Anthony Albanese's inner circle, will push the prime minister for a response to the escalating marine crisis in their home state, amid a growing backlash against federal government inaction. Health Minister Mark Butler and Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong, two of Albanese's closest confidants, along with Trade Minister Don Farrell and Employment Minster Amanda Rishworth, said they will ensure 'the message around this is heard very loudly in Canberra' when they gather with colleagues next week for the resumption of parliament.
Sky News AU
6 days ago
- Business
- Sky News AU
'Challenging for some': Labor warned to ignore disability activists in NDIS overhaul to ensure costs reined in
A stark ministerial brief has warned Labor must ignore disability activists' pleas to slow reforms to the NDIS in order to ensure ballooning costs are reined in quickly. Obtained by The Australian under Freedom of Information, the brief warns NDIS Minister Mark Butler the government will miss its goal of reducing the annual growth of the scheme down to eight per cent from July 2026 should the pace of reforms slow. "The disability community… does not support the government's timeline for NDIS reforms; however, it is critical the Agency remain on the timeline if we are to achieve national cabinet's annual 8 per cent growth target," the brief said. "The scale of change also has the potential to be challenging for some cohorts." Catch up with all of the day's breaking news and live interviews from politicians and experts with a Streaming Subscription.
The Independent
6 days ago
- The Independent
Drop in school children vaping since Australian ban: study
Australia's health minister, Mark Butler, has attributed a ban on disposable vapes to a significant reduction in vaping rates among school-aged children. The Generation Vape Research Project by Cancer Council reported that vaping among 14-17 year olds decreased from 17.5 per cent to 14 per cent between early 2023 and April this year. The government's 12-month campaign against illegal vape sales has resulted in the seizure of over 10 million illicit vapes, valued at half a billion dollars, in the past year. Although some vapes continue to enter the country, the ban has made disposable vapes more difficult to acquire and substantially increased their price, positively influencing young people. The ban aims to counter the targeting of children by the vape market and disrupt profits for organised crime, with the UK also implementing a similar ban on disposable vapes.
The Independent
7 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Teenage vaping in Australia has ‘turned a corner' after ban, study says
Vaping among school-age children has significantly reduced, the Australian government has said, citing a study, a year after a ban on disposable vapes. Australian health minister Mark Butler on Wednesday said vaping rates "have now turned the corner" for young children, calling it a result of their 12-month campaign to crack down on the illegal sale of vapes. The nationwide Generation Vape Research Project by Cancer Council conducted an anonymous survey of 3,000 young Australians. Among children aged 14-17 years, vaping rates have fallen from 17.5 per cent to 14 per cent from the start of 2023 to April this year, it has found. Overall, smoking rates among people aged over 15 fell by more than a third, while vaping rates among those aged 30 to 59 dropped by nearly half. 'Vaping rates for young Australians have now turned the corner. Our education and prevention campaigns as well as support to deter people from taking up vaping and smoking or to quit are making a difference', Mr Butler said. Mr Butler said vaping products still "leak" through the border despite their crackdown. "From the time we put this ban in place we never pretended we'd be able to stop every vape coming in," he said. "But we do know that it is harder to get your hands on a disposable vape … that's led to a very significant increase in the price of vapes where they are still accessible, and that's having a positive impact on young people." He said authorities have seized more than 10 million illegal vapes in the past year. The Therapeutic Goods Authority and Australian Border Force (ABF) said the 10 million vapes – half a billon dollars worth of vapes – were taken off the market. Additional seizures included 2.5 billion cigarette sticks and 435 tonnes of illicit tobacco. "It's a market that targets our communities including our children," ABF Assistant Commissioner Tony Smith said. "[It] sends profits into the hands of organised crime, profits that are used to cause further harm through intimidation tactics, arson, firearms, drugs and even cyber crime." Laws introduced to curb vaping banned single-use vapes from being made, imported, advertised and supplied in 2024. Only nicotine vapes were allowed to be legally sold with a prescription in pharmacies.
