Andrew McLachlan (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The algal bloom disaster is still unfolding in South Australia. My thoughts are with the communities that have been and are being affected. I extend my thanks to my fellow senators for supporting the motion to enable the Senate to have an inquiry into the algal bloom. Special thanks to Senators Cadell and Grogan. I'm also grateful for the federal government and state government interventions.

Scientists are still researching the causes of the bloom. It is likely that a key factor will be ocean temperature. What we do know is that the event is unprecedented. It's timely to reflect that we are not as ready to respond to this type of disaster as we might be to a flood or a bushfire. Just because this event is taking place at sea should not exclude it from being declared a national emergency, given the scale of the bloom.

It is a core conservative principle that we must provide for future generations. The argument that we are free to pollute because other nations are polluting is not an argument founded in conservative thought or tradition. Also we must reflect that the sea life and habitat are already under stress from pollution and are therefore less likely to cope with unprecedented events. Governments at every level, together with communities, are going to need to work together to make our economy sustainable. We need to find ways to not pollute. From my recent reading on what it is to be a patriot in the modern world, it is to selflessly serve your nation—not only the citizens of today but the citizens of tomorrow. And that must mean including a real commitment to care for nature.