Kerrynne Liddle (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Hansard source

The Labor Government's closed eyes and deaf ears have added to the algal bloom catastrophe, but our great state of South Australia remains open for business. State and federal governments could have acted earlier on so many things. They did not. They should have provided the information necessary to protect businesses from consumers not buying their products though their products are completely safe. They should have got the emergency funding criteria, which finally came, right the first time. Labor's response was too little too late and is contributing to making a bad situation worse, with uncertainty, crippling businesses, workers and families.

The Tourism Industry Council of South Australia reports 99 per cent of businesses have lost income. The average downturn is 40 per cent and the average financial loss is $52,000. Seafood producers and processors, fishing tackle shops, fish-and-chips shops, tourism businesses and retailers in the areas both impacted and not impacted directly have been let down.

This morning I met with a delegation of mayors from South Australia in Canberra for urgent coordinated action to protect livelihoods, restore ecosystems and strengthen long-term resilience. They want a national legislative and policy framework to instil market confidence and a plan that delivers community wellbeing and resilience during largescale marine mortality events, and they are united on the need for permanent monitoring. Consider this timeline. Scientists alerted Labor back in October last year. Ocean goers have known of it since March. In May this year, the minister's office refused to meet with those affected and rejected calls for emergency funding. When opposition leader Sussan Ley suggested it be declared a natural disaster, Minister Watt labelled it 'semantics'. South Australians know that if it was Broadbeach or Bondi— (Time expired)