Media release – Neighbours of Fish Farming, 24 May 2023
Multinational with history of corruption’ Turns the screws on Tasmania
The company behind for the world’s biggest corruption scandal has turned its sights on Tasmania’s government with dangerous consequences.
Brazilian giant, JBS, which owns Atlantic salmon producer, Huon Aquaculture, is openly bullying the state government to bend to its will.
“This is blackmail and it constitutes nothing less than a frightening attack on democratic government,” says Peter George, president of Neighbours of Fish Farming.
“JBS has a global history that shows it allows nothing to stand in the way of its profits – not government, not workers, not the environment,
“Fined a world-record $3.2 billion for bribing hundreds of politicians in Brazil, JBS is now turning its sights on the fragile minority Tasmanian government demanding concessions with barely concealed threats.
“The timing is not coincidental – and it’s just what we feared and we warned about when JBS bought Huon Aquaculture in 2021.
“Like the other multinationals that bought-out the local salmon industry, they’re here to exploit weak regulation, give-away leases for public waterways and pliable politicians that ensure maximum profits to send home.
“This is a genuinely frightening moment for Tasmanian democracy when a multinational powerhouse bares its aggressive intention to impose its will on Tasmanians and their marine heritage.
“JBS-owned Huon, led by a scion of the Batista family whose founding brothers were jailed over the bribery scandal, is turning the screws, demanding Premier Jeremy Rockliff deliver on the undertaking he reportedly gave in November last year at a private Liberal Party fundraiser that salmon executives paid more than $4,000 to attend.
“Mr Rockliff has never denied promising the salmon companies to deliver on their demands, no matter that it would be unpopular with Tasmanians.
“The multinationals all bid aggressively to buy-out the Australian-owned salmon business – Huon Aquaculture and Tassal (bought by Canadian Cooke Aquaculture) – with full knowledge of costs, wages and profits.
“They now make it clear what the plan was all along – buy the business and then threaten, bully and blackmail the government into making them even more profitable by reducing safeguards on Tasmania’s precious, unique waterways.
“Primary Industries minister Jo Palmer has already admitted the companies have lost their social licence and claimed they were ‘“desperate’ for Tasmanians’ approval.
“Now it’s clear the companies don’t give a damn about social licence, about Tasmanians’ approval or even about Tasmania’s waterways. They care only about profit and Tasmanians will not stand for it.”
Media release – Bob Brown Foundation, 24 May 2023
JBS CEO Henry Batista believes Tasmania’s waterways are his to destroy
“Here is a Brazilian billionaire saying to Tasmania, I want to spread more of our fish pen squalor to more of your beautiful bays and oceans, and I think I have found just the weak-spined government that will make Tasmanians subsidise all this,” said Bob Brown.
“In statements that beggar belief, Huon Aquaculture’s CEO, Henry Batista, is saying the quiet part out loud. His demand to the Tasmanian Government, to ‘review’ regulations in exchange for hundreds of millions of dollars, is tantamount to corruption. His belief that Tasmania’s waterways are not only for sale but available to be destroyed by a giant multinational corporation, shows just how arrogant the toxic salmon industry has become,” said Alistair Allan, Bob Brown Foundation Antarctic and Marine Campaigner.
“Mr Batista’s demands to review regulations come just as the most recent 10-year salmon plan was heralded as a failure by the community and scientists for not regulating the industry enough. For an industry desperate to regain social license, asking to destroy Tasmania’s priceless rivers, bays and oceans, along with the unique and irreplaceable wildlife that live here, shows the wanton disregard salmon companies have for Tasmanian communities and our environment.”
“Premier Rockliff must assure Tasmanians that large multinational corporations are not able to simply purchase our public waterways and render them destroyed and void of life. Rather than review the regulations at the behest of Henry Batista, Premier Rockliff must mandate the removal of all Huon Aquaculture’s environmentally destructive fish farms from Tasmania’s waterways instead,” said Alistair Allan.
Fish farms must be removed entirely from Macquarie Harbour to save Maugean Skate
Bob Brown Foundation welcomes the federal Environment Minister urging extreme intervention to save the Maugean skate in Macquarie Harbour.
While we welcome this, this cannot mean anything other than the complete removal of fish farms from Macquarie Harbour.
It was acknowledged by Dr Fiona Fraser, the Threatened Species Commissioner, that aquaculture unequivocally affects the Maugean skate.
“Extreme intervention is what is needed to save the Maugean skate, which is so close to extinction. The federal government and the federal Environment Minister made a promise of no new extinctions. Extreme intervention can mean nothing less than the total removal of fish farms from Macquarie Harbour,” said Alistair Allan, Bob Brown Foundation Fish Farm Campaigner.
“It is now painfully self-evident that removing fish farms will bolster the Maugean Skate’s chances. It is the obvious first step.”
“Premier Rockliff and the Tasmanian Government must now act on this and remove fish farms from Macquarie Harbour. If they don’t, the Federal Government must use the Commonwealth corporations cower and ensure that fish farms are removed and that the health of Macquarie Harbour is returned to its natural state.”
Rosalie Woodruff MP, Greens Marine Environment spokesperson, 24 May 2023
Rockliff Must Rule Out Weakening Environmental Laws
Premier Jeremy Rockliff must rule out any steps to weaken Tasmania’s environmental protection laws, or to expand industrial fish farming operations.
New Huon Aquaculture owners, JBS, appear to have been working in secret for some time to get even more concessions from the Liberals for their damaging industry. Who could forget the exclusive $4400 a head Liberal fundraising dinner where the Premier promised fish farm executives the world?
Now this multinational giant has taken their campaign for a fish farming bonanza to the media. Clearly they’ve got Jeremy Rockliff right where they want him, and believe they only need a feather touch to get him over the line.
It’s no surprise these massive industrial players think they can get whatever they want – Jeremy Rockliff has shown he’s a pushover by the dud deal he signed with the AFL.
Tasmanians need the Premier to grow a spine, and demonstrate our state isn’t a corporate plaything. He must immediately rule out weakening any environmental laws, commit to no expansion of industrial fish farming operations in Tasmanian waters, and to getting them out of public waters for good.
Media release – independent Member for Clark, Andrew Wilkie, 24 May 2023
WE MUST PROTECT TASMANIA’S ENDANGERED SPECIES AND ENVIRONMENT
Independent Member for Clark, Andrew Wilkie, called out the Tasmanian Government’s appalling disregard for the environment during a speech in the Federal Parliament earlier today.
“Tasmanians are rightly proud of our natural environment. So imagine the community’s alarm, sometimes even anger, at the increasing likelihood of losing so much of what we love,” Mr Wilkie said. “Indeed currently more than 650 plant and animal species are listed as threatened in Tasmania, including six critically endangered vertebrates.
“For example the population of the Maugean Skate, an ancient fish found only in the waters of Macquarie Harbour, has almost halved between 2014 and 2021 while the State Government was cheering on the seemingly unrestrained salmon farming in the Harbour. And the swift parrot remains critically endangered, despite only seven per cent of public forests currently available for logging needing to be protected in order to give the swift parrot a fighting chance.
“Moreover our natural heritage is under threat from sweet deals between developers and governments. For instance the luxury heli-tourism project proposed for Lake Malbena would pay just $4,000 per year to lease public land and exploit a wilderness heritage area for the benefit of wealthy tourists. This is markedly less than what a lot of families in Hobart are paying in rent every couple of months right now.”
