Mr GAFFNEY (Mersey) - Mr President, I rise today in response to the tabling of the report of the subcommittee into finfish farming in Tasmania. I congratulate the Chair, the member for Nelson; and the Deputy Chair, the member for Hobart, for their attention to detail, commitment to the process and for their efforts in contributing to and producing the resultant final report. I appreciate the very thorough and detailed speeches from both the Chair and Deputy Chair. I am not going to restate that which we have already heard.

As has been stated, it has been a long journey. The inquiry into finfish farming in Tasmania commenced with the Legislative Council Sessional Committee Government Administration A, resolving to form a subcommittee to initiate the inquiry in September 2019. A long journey but a very important one, due to interruptions caused by the pandemic, parliament being prorogued and the need for a detailed investigation of the terms of reference. This committee has undertaken one of the longest inquiries that I can recall in my time in the Legislative Council, with 225 submissions, six sessions of public hearings, an interim report and the committee members travelled many miles to visit fish farms, fish operations and community groups.

I have responded to many emails and learnt a great deal from the numerous conversations I have had with passionate and positive individuals from within the industry, the EPA, the Government, the scientific fraternity and especially the wider community.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the hard work, coordination and administration of the inquiry performed by the dedicated committee staff, specifically committee secretaries Jenny Mannering and Allison Scott.

The feedback I received from individuals and the industry, Government and community groups has been very constructive and largely supportive of the report. There was some anxiety and annoyance from some due to the delays in tabling the report. Only having three of the original five members complete the bulk of the work, it was an inquiry that was not going to be rushed, especially as all members had other committee obligations and legislative responsibilities over that time period. It is not excuses, Mr President, just a statement of fact and a reality check of the importance of inquiry work.

The report, whilst receiving a diverse range of opinions, seemed to provide an objective balance of perspectives and as we heard from previous speakers, offered recommendations to address many of the issues and concerns raised throughout the journey.

It must be realised that there are a number of Tasmanians who are quite nervous about the future of the finfish industry; Tasmanians who are supportive of the industry and those Tasmanians who are not. I have publicly stated I am in support of a vibrant, sustainable, environmentally sound finfish industry, and hopefully the recommendations in the report will allow the Government, industry and stakeholders a productive and responsible way forward.

Finfish expansion is, however, an issue on the north-west coast, Mr President. I have spoken before in this place about the concerns. Some of those concerns are: the impact on the safety and environmental harmony of the Bass Strait waters and creatures such as whales, dolphins, tuna, penguins, commercial sea fish and migratory birds; the likely changes to the sea environment as experienced by the surfing community who are passionate about the preservation of the waters around the north-west coast. Many of us remember how things were in the old days of the heavy polluting industry along the now largely recovered waters off Sulphur Creek. People on the north-west coast can recall the strategy of extending the pipeline out further into the waters, hoping that the waste product would just dissipate. That was not the case; it just spread the environmental disaster further down the coast.

There is a concern that future generations have the right to inherit an ocean and an earth that is clean and not abused by an industry that is, by and large, now not even owned by Tasmanians. There is legitimate concern that the waste product from extensive finfish farms will have detrimental impacts on our Bass Strait waters and the coastline. There is concern about the cruelty to marine animals, like seals and dolphins, and even the health of the salmon themselves, and the possibility of disastrous environmental and divided social community impacts, as experienced due to neighbouring fish farms in the Channel, the Huon and the Tasman Peninsula for the past 20 years. There is likelihood of a degraded marine environment, fish pen debris and the negative impact of 24/7 industrial operations on the amenity of local communities through visual light and noise pollution and increased land and sea traffic.

Unlike the European experience, the industry pays a pittance to use the waters that are public property of all Tasmanians and with the recent ownership transference arrangements, these concerns are even further intensified. I hate to use an analogy, Mr President, but our Government is now playing with the big fish in unchartered legal waters.

That community concern has largely been ignored by finfish companies, the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and the Government alike. Scientists have emphasised that Bass Strait does not flow or wash out. Is like the water in a bathtub where the excrement and the impacts of fish farms will not disperse but will impact forever on the sea beds, the coastlines and the pristine environment we need to protect and save for future generations.

We already know from the pipeline extension strategy, that just by moving the problem further out into the Strait, it does not solve the issue. Indeed, it might hide it for a while but eventually, it comes back to bite the environment with even more catastrophic impacts. The nitrogen levels, the phosphorous levels that could impact in the Bass Strait waters on some of our key breeding grounds. We have actually given a licence for them to sell the product and scientifically investigate that over so many years. That is a real concern.

Many in the north-west coast want Bass Strait as a place that is protected and not sacrificed to what they view as a greedy industry and a Government more concerned with financial returns and the economy, more so than environmental amenity.

Since the rally held in Burnie, I have attended another meeting in Port Sorell in July, and now the inquiry report has been tabled, I will be able to speak at a public meeting in East Devonport on 3 September.

In closing, I express my appreciation to all who have provided submissions, and/or gave evidence. I am grateful for the opportunity of being part of this inquiry, and production of the report, and I have learnt many things.