The Tasmanian Conservation Trust today questioned the sincerity of the Tasmanian government’s response to widespread public concern about the expansion of the fish farming on the east coast.
“The minister’s suggestion that an “independent assessment” by the Marine Farming Planning Review Panel will allay community concerns fails to recognise the shortcomings of the current aquaculture planning system, including the ‘rubber stamp’ Panel,” said TCT Director Peter McGlone.
“What we need to remember is that the Panel actually approved the current lease area that is now so contentious. The Panel is part of the problem, not the solution, and cannot provide an independent review.
“Along with mining and forestry, aquaculture planning is quarantined from the normal Tasmanian planning process. The Marine Farming Planning Review Panel has been an integral part of this ‘special’ planning system and has proven to be a rubber stamp for aquaculture developments since it was created.”
The TCT said that during its entire existence (almost 20 years) the Marine Farming Planning Review Panel has only knocked back one fish farm proposal, at Soldiers Point, Bruny Island. After that setback to industry, changes were made to the membership of the panel and planning legislation that, in our view, makes it even less likely that aquaculture expansion would be influenced in any meaningful way by community concerns.
“The TCT believes that large-scale finfish farming is an inappropriate industry for the pristine waters off Tasmania’s east coast due to the threat it poses to local tourism, recreational fisheries and the marine environment,” Mr McGlone added.
“However, if the Tasmanian Government genuinely wants to get a social licence for future fish farm developments, then as a first step the Marine Farming Planning Review Panel needs to be disbanded and aquaculture planning needs to be made part of Tasmania’s mainstream planning process,” Mr McGlone concluded.
Tasmanian Conservation Trust Inc
Level2, 191-193 Liverpool St, Hobart 7000
Phone: +61 3 6234 3552
Web: www.tct.org.au
Peter McGlone Director Tasmanian Conservation Trust
