The Tasmanian Liberal party has promised a pause on salmon farm expansion and an independent review of the industry as it attempts to win support from crossbench MPs and survive a no-confidence motion in the state parliament this week.
In a concession to independent MPs critical of the operation of salmon farms in public waterways, the premier, Jeremy Rockliff, on Sunday said he supported the industry but that it was “on notice” after a mass mortality event last summer, and it must “operate transparently and responsibly and meet its obligations to the community”.
He said the government would respond by introducing a marine environment act to strengthen regulation of the industry and order a study by an “off-island specialist organisation”. There would be a pause on industry expansion while it was completed, he said.
“We know how important transparency is to the industry so we expect them to fully participate in the study,” Rockliff said. “Our government would want to see from this study practical reforms and smarter regulations that protect our environment, but also investment certainty for industry.”
The state parliament returns on Tuesday after a snap election last month that was called after the parliament passed a no-confidence motion in Rockliff moved by the Labor leader, Dean Winter. Voters responded by delivering a parliament highly similar to the last one: 14 Liberals, 10 Labor MPs, five Greens and six other crossbenchers.
With all parties short of the 18 seats needed for a majority, Rockliff and Winter have spent the past month jockeying for support.
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As the incumbent, Rockliff has been reappointed as premier until parliament returns, but Winter has promised that either he or an independent would move a vote of no confidence in the Liberals and a vote of confidence in Labor on the first day back.
The Liberals’ concession on salmon was welcomed by some crossbenchers on Sunday. It followed the revelation last week that an endemic bacteria, Piscirickettsia salmonis, which caused an unprecedented mass mortality event at salmon farms last summer, was again present at elevated levels at farms in the D’Entrecasteaux Channel, south of Hobart.
Rockliff’s commitment matches some of the measures suggested by two independent MPs, Peter George and Craig Garland, in a letter to the major parties last week.
George told Guardian Australia the announcement was “a real step forward”. “If it was to be adhered to in good faith we’d see it as a real win, but the devil is in the detail,” he said.
Garland, who had previously indicated he would back Labor, said he “cautiously welcomed” Rockliff’s announcement, but also wanted more detail. He said Tasmania’s oceans were “in trouble”, and called on Labor to back the Liberals’ commitment.
“Over summer we’ve seen rotting salmon lining our beaches, and salps and jellyfish choking our waterways, and we now watch with dread the ecological disaster unfolding in South Australia, where dolphins, sharks and fish are washing up dead on beaches,” he said. “Before things can get better, we must stop them from getting worse.”
The Greens leader, Rosalie Woodruff, said the Liberals’ announcement was a “potential turning point” and suggested the government had “finally recognised that something must be done”. But she said the party would be cautious as the Liberals had a “terrible record of inaction on environmental protection”.
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Labor’s spokesperson for aquaculture and the environment, Janie Finlay, said Rockliff had broken promises on reviews into other issues in the state, including the budget and controversial plans to build an AFL stadium on the Hobart waterfront, and should not be believed. “The only thing Jeremy Rockliff cares about is clinging to power, and he will say anything, promise anything, and break his word on everything, just to keep his job,” she said.
The salmon pledge is the latest in a series of announcements since the election aimed at winning cross bench support. Rockliff ditched a plan to open nearly 40,000 hectares of protected forest for logging and said he would ban greyhound racing from 2029.
The new treasurer, Eric Abetz, last week held a multi-party meeting including Greens and independent MPs to discuss how to deal with the state’s ballooning debt and promised the discussions would be ongoing.
Winter said an upper house independent, Ruth Forrest, would be treasurer in a Labor government. He held meetings with crossbenchers focused on budget repair, but refused to offer policy concessions to the Greens despite needing their support to form government.
After a meeting with Winter last week, Woodruff said the Labor leader had “not made a serious attempt” at negotiating and her party could not support a no-confidence motion in the Liberals “at this stage”.
On Sunday, the independent MP David O’Byrne, a former Labor leader and cabinet minister, said he would back Rockliff remaining as premier as the Liberals were the only party able to form a “workable majority” in parliament.
The Liberals are aiming for a fifth straight term in government. They increased their primary vote by 3.2% to nearly 39.9% at last month’s election.
Labor’s vote fell 3.1% to 25.9%. The Greens’ vote rose slightly to 14.4% of the vote. Other parties and crossbenchers received a combined 19.8%.
