Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Centre Alliance) Share this | Hansard source

My electorate of Mayo, and virtually the entire coastline of South Australia, is in the midst of an environmental catastrophe. The harmful algal bloom is an unprecedented natural disaster. On top of the environmental impacts, there are devastating economic and social impacts for businesses, industries and communities. I'm hearing stories of businesses experiencing financial hardship, staff having their hours reduced and families cancelling beach holidays. This is affecting coastal communities in every sense.

The South Australian government has offered business owners $10,000 grants, and up to $100,000 is available for commercial fishers and aquaculture licences. This is a positive start but this support does not go far enough, and the federal government needs to step in and help more. The $14 million from the Commonwealth is not enough; that's less than half a roundabout. The Prime Minister should declare this a natural disaster, a national emergency, because it is a disaster of national significance. It feels like it's a bushfire under the sea.

The National Emergency Declaration Act 2020 allows for preparation, response and recovery from emergencies that cause or are likely to cause nationally significant harm. There is a broad definition which constitutes nationally significant harm; harm to life, health, animals, plants and the environment are included among the criteria. An emergency declaration would trigger federal assistance, payments including one-off financial support and a short-term income support payment for those whose income is affected by disaster. We need a COVID-style package offering help. There are workers without incomes, families facing hardships, small businesses struggling to stay afloat and whole industries in jeopardy. South Australia's beachside communities are facing an uncertain future, and there is no end in sight. We can all help by visiting affected communities, and I would say that to everybody in Mayo: go down and visit, go to the pub or go and do your shopping down on one of our coastal communities and support our local businesses.

These communities deserve more support from the federal government. The Prime Minister recently said that the people of Australia voted and said, 'Yes, we do judge a society by how it looks after the most vulnerable.' Well, right now, Prime Minister, we are incredibly vulnerable in Mayo and in South Australia. We need those words put into action. This vulnerability is through no fault of our own. We need the federal government to step up, help us and make those words reality.

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