Algal bloom exposes 'limitations' in government monitoring programs, Senate inquiry finds
(ABC News) By Thomas Kelsall
Tue 11 Nov
In short:
The Senate inquiry, led by Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young, has tabled its 207-page report into the management of South Australia's toxic algal bloom.
The report makes a total of 14 recommendations.
What's next?
A state parliamentary inquiry into the crisis is continuing.
The inquiry, chaired by Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young, had been investigating for months how the state and federal governments coordinated their response to the algal bloom that has been devastating marine ecosystems across the state since its emergence in March.
The committee tabled its 207-page report on Tuesday.
The report makes 14 recommendations, including for a new definition for declaring how "climate induced, slow onset and significant ecological events could be incorporated into a broader national framework".
The recommendation comes after the federal government faced criticism for not declaring the algal bloom a national disaster, before later declaring it a "significant ecological event".
The Senate report also recommended that the federal government outline clearer responsibilities for all three levels of government.
"The committee heard that the SA government was unprepared for the HAB (harmful algal bloom) due to a lack of long-term ecological and HAB monitoring along the SA coastline and waters which created barriers to determining the exact causes of the HAB and assessing its impacts," the report states.
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