Senator CHANDLER (Tasmania) (16:43): At the request of Senator Duniam I move: That, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency: The need for Environment Minister Plibersek to urgently guarantee that the economic and social importance of, and the hundreds of direct and indirect jobs that depend on, Tasmania's salmon industry are not in any way negatively impacted by any decision taken by the Government under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. I want to thank my Tasmanian Liberal colleague Senator Duniam for bringing this urgency motion before the Senate today, because this is an urgent situation which needs to be immediately addressed for the sake of an industry, the hundreds of jobs that it supports and the communities which would be adversely impacted by any decision made by this government under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Tasmania's salmon industry is an important contributor to the state's economy and plays a significant role on the West Coast of Tasmania by stimulating economic activity and supporting local jobs. But the industry and the jobs that it supports both directly and indirectly are currently under threat from this Labor government and environmental activists. The Minister for the Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek, has been threatening to pause, or even shut down, that industry—an industry that provides immense economic and social contributions to Strahan, the West Coast and Tasmania as a whole. The review into the Tasmanian salmon industry's operations in Macquarie Harbour—initiated by the environment minister and three activist groups: the Environmental Defenders Office, the Bob Brown Foundation and the Australia Institute—has created extreme uncertainty not only for those Tasmanians working directly in the salmon industry but for the West Coast community as a whole. We know that Labor and the Greens are joined at the hip, and I'm sure that we will see that on show once again this weekend at the Tasmanian state election— Senator Polley: This is all about the Tasmanian state election! Senator CHANDLER: where Labor and the Greens have a very strong track record, Senator Polley, of teaming up to trash regional industries. The minister's initiation of this review shows just how far the minister is willing to go to appease environmental activist groups and the green elements which we know exist within her own party. Let's get one thing straight: it is perfectly reasonable to hold serious concern about the future of the maugean skate. The view that protection and conservation of endangered species is important isn't a view which is exclusively held by environmental activists. It's not even a view which is exclusively held by the Greens. It is a view that is shared across industry, across the community and across the political spectrum. But, unfortunately, under this minister, that same level of concern is not shared for the hundreds of jobs directly and indirectly supported by the salmon industry—a sustainable and environmentally regulated industry, I might add. All of these issues—environmental, economic and social—should be examined as a whole. But, unfortunately, there are some—namely, those groups who are part of the minister's review—who hold an ideological opposition to the salmon industry, devoid of any scientific basis or any shred of concern for communities. A case in point is that those opposed to salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour seem to skim over the fact that the maugean skate was first discovered in Tasmania in Port Davey and Bathurst Harbour and has since completely disappeared from that part of the state, even though there is no form of aquaculture or industrial activity in those areas. Unfortunately, those working in the salmon industry on the West Coast have been left in the lurch by this government. The minister's decisions and actions all appear to be based on what she thinks green activists and inner-city voters might like best. The Prime Minister himself desperately attempted to provide reassurance to West Coast communities on a fleeting trip to the island state in January, where he tried to convince salmon workers that he is pro jobs and was backing in the industry—except he didn't even make it out of Hobart, which is hundreds of kilometres away from Strahan, where the jobs and the communities under threat from the Prime Minister's government are actually located. But at least the Prime Minister actually managed to make it to Tasmania. As far as we know, the environment minister, Ms Plibersek, hasn't even visited the relevant area since announcing her review. Tasmania's salmon industry is an incredibly important contributor to the state's economy, and it plays a significant role on the West Coast of Tasmania by stimulating regional economies and supporting local jobs. But that industry and the jobs that it supports, both directly and indirectly, on Tasmania's West Coast are currently under threat from this Labor government and, as I say, from the environmental activists who are party to this review. Tasmanians need a prime minister who backs in our regional communities and the industries and the jobs they support. Frankly, they need an environment minister who will do exactly the same thing. But that's not what we're seeing here today.