The prime minister's multimillion-dollar pledge for a Tasmanian harbour has come under attack from all sides who claim it is cynical pork-barrelling that won't save an endangered fish and leaves salmon industry workers in the lurch.
Anthony Albanese on Tuesday revealed a $28 million plan for new measures to improve the Macquarie Harbour's water quality, including $21 million to scale up oxygenation to offset the effects of human activities, such as salmon farming, on the Maugean skate.
There are an estimated 40 to 120 adult skates left in the wild, according to environmental campaigners, who labelled the prime minister's announcement as a green light for the polluting salmon industry.
About $5 million of the funding will be invested in skate breeding programs and $2.5 million will go towards monitoring the skate population and compliance in the community.
Labor on Tuesday also announced Tasmanian Senator Anne Urquhart would be its candidate for the seat of Braddon, which covers Macquarie Harbour and is seen as a key political battleground at the federal election due to be held by May.
Conservation group Neighbours of Fish Farming accused the government of pork-barrelling and subsidising the polluting multinational salmon industry.
"The prime minister’s announcement of a $21 million handout to the salmon industry is in flagrant disregard for the science that shows the Maugean skate’s plight is directly linked to the industry’s polluting practices," vice president Lisa Litjens said.
The group said it was a "cynical effort to buy votes" and called for the money to be invested in helping transition Tasmania's West Coast community to sustainable jobs.
Oxygenation technology remains unproven and the fastest way to improve oxygen levels in the harbour is to remove the salmon, Australian Marine Conservation Society's Alexia Wellbelove said.
It has been a year since federal environment minister Tanya Plibersek triggered a review of aquaculture, including salmon farming permits, in Macquarie Harbour the only home of the skate.
The government's own conservation advice called for urgent action to eliminate or significantly reduce fish farming impacts on the harbour's oxygen levels to help safeguard the skate.
Industry groups and environmentalists said the future of salmon farming and the rare skate was in limbo after a decision to increase the fish's status to critically endangered was pushed back until after the election.
Mr Albanese said the Tasmanian salmon industry was the backbone of many regional communities.
"Wherever human activity occurs, it has an impact on the environment," he said on Tuesday.
"The task of government is to make sure industry can operate, jobs are created, but that we have protection of the environment and a sustainable industry."
Opposition environment spokesman Jonno Dunium wants environmental reviews into the industry dumped.
“This is not a solution to the uncertainty salmon workers face today. It is an elongation of a process that Canberra has forced on our workers that has gone on for far too long,” he said.
Tasmanian Industry Minister Eric Abetz welcomed the funding but said it didn't provide certainty for hundreds of families whose livelihoods rely on the salmon industry.
The announcement builds on existing conservation efforts in the harbour, which is part of Tasmania's $1 billion aquaculture industry.
Supermarket giant Coles on Tuesday followed fellow retailer Woolworths in refusing to phase out selling farmed salmon sourced from Tasmania.
