South Australia will receive Commonwealth funding of $14 million to address the algal bloom crisis on its coasts, but the Federal Government has stopped short of declaring a natural disaster.

Adelaide

An algal bloom that began in March has caused significant environmental damage along South Australian beaches, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of marine animals. The crisis has prompted repeated calls for federal assistance, with some questioning whether a similar event on the east coast would have received a faster response.

The Federal Environment Minister has now visited Adelaide and announced a one-off $14 million payment to support beach cleanup, assist affected businesses such as the fishing industry, and fund research into the cause of the bloom. While some are calling for the event to be classified as a natural disaster to unlock further funding, the current national framework does not recognize such events as natural disasters. The South Australian government's financial contribution is yet to be determined.

Federal Government pledges funding for SA's algal bloom

Yeah, they most certainly have, Sandra. And devastating scenes have been playing out on South Australian beaches for some time since March when this algal bloom first appeared, with scores of marine life washing up dead on our beaches. There have been repeated calls for help from Canberra, with many here in SA questioning whether assistance would have been more forthcoming if similar scenes were playing out on the east coast. And now today, the Federal Environment Minister finally arrived in Adelaide with taxpayer funding after observing first-hand the carnage on our coast. A $14 million one-off payment will be granted towards cleaning beaches, assisting affected businesses such as the state's vital fishing industry, and it will also be used to support research into the science of this unprecedented event. The bloom is being blamed on high water temperatures and predictions it should disperse with cooler conditions. Well, they've never eventuated here in SA, and it's already claimed tens of thousands of marine animals from various species. Some have labelled it akin to an underwater bushfire, a catastrophe, and many are calling for it to be deemed a natural disaster by altering the criteria. That would unlock ongoing funding, but the Federal Minister says that's a discussion for another day. The fact is that as the Commonwealth's natural disaster framework currently exists, it doesn't consider an event like this to be a natural disaster. It is confronting for people that are so familiar with our marine environment and our extraordinary coastline, walking along it and seeing dead fish, dead marine life. Now exactly how much money the South Australian Government will tip in, that will be decided at a meeting tomorrow.

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As Suwayda

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