Dan Repacholi (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm here to speak on the motion brought forward by the member for Gippsland about carp in our waterways and the proposal to release the carp herpes virus. I'll say this straightaway upfront: I don't think anybody in this place disputes the basic problem here. Carp are a destructive pest species. They tear up riverbeds, they muddy the water, they damage aquatic plants and they put pressure on native fish species that belong in our rivers. In some parts of the Murray-Darling Basin, they make up most of the fish biomass. Anyone who has spent time near these waterways knows the damage carp can do.

Communities right across regional Australia are frustrated by it. Fishers are frustrated by it. Farmers are frustrated by it. Local communities want healthy rivers and healthy waterways, and so does this government. So let's be clear about that from the start. This government absolutely acknowledges carp are a serious environmental problem, and we support strong action to deal with them. But when you're talking about releasing a biological control agent into Australian waterways, you've got to get it right, because once it's out there, you can't put the genie back in the bottle. Once a virus is released into rivers across this country, it's irreversible. That's why the government is taking an evidence based approach instead of rushing to meet political deadlines.

Those opposite want to pretend the science is all wrapped up and settled. Well, it isn't. The National Carp Control Plan, published in 2022, found there is potential for the virus to help reduce carp populations. This is 100 per cent true. But the plan also identified important gaps that still need further work: questions around impact on non-target species, questions around water quality, questions around disease transmission through river systems, questions around broader environmental—

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended from 13:20 to 16:00

See this speech in context