Labor’s last minute rescue package for those impacted by the algal bloom largely ignores the calls from fishing and marine industries brought to their knees by this environmental disaster.
Providing eligible businesses a mere $10,000 falls far short of what industries have been calling for, with many fishers having not caught a single fish for months.
Leader of the Opposition, Vincent Tarzia said what's most concerning is that those businesses now have to wait even longer for the Government to share who is eligible and how they can access the funding.
“This cobbled together support package smacks of a Government scrambling to save face for its lack of understanding around the scale of this issue,” Mr Tarzia said.
“They’ve had to be embarrassed into action through public scrutiny and, in doing so, have unveiled a half-baked package that misses the mark.
“The Government says its delayed response is a result of early advice, so we are calling on them to release the data, show us the reports and the evidence that led to its lack of action.
“We will be continuing to advocate for what the industry actually needs, which is full fee relief and job-keeper style support for commercial fishers and affected oyster growers who are unable to work - as well as extended support for industries that rely on our coast, such as tourism, hospitality and retail.”
Shadow Minister for Environment, David Basham said that much of the action being taken now should have started months ago.
“We have been consistently calling for better information, more investigation and monitoring of this situation since it first began in March,” Mr Basham said.
“We’re pleased to see more money going towards providing better public information because there has been widespread confusion due to the lack of messaging from the Government to date.
“This has had broad ranging impacts on a number of industries reliant on our reputation as a clean coastal state, in particular, our seafood, tourism and related industries which have experienced a dramatic drop in income.”
