David Gillespie (Lyne, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I had the pleasure of meeting Dean, Steve, Tina and Paula Cole of Cole Bros Oysters on the banks of the Karuah River. They are one of the 11 oyster farmers on the Karuah River where it joins Port Stephens, producing beautiful Sydney rock oysters. It is the site of a $1.6 million federal environment grant to repopulate and reseed four hectares of new native Sydney rock oyster reefs. This is part of the $20 million Reef Builder program for bushfire-affected areas and also as a COVID-19 stimulus. The project is working on banding lease areas and using remnant oysters to reseed new, fresh Sydney rock oysters.

As you know, oysters are the vacuum cleaners of the oceans. They create cleaner water and are good for fish growth and general reef growth. The program will improve the water quality, sustain up to 10 jobs and see seven local contracts issued. They're working with The Nature Conservancy, the Sydney Institute of Marine Science and local oyster growers. The oyster industry is a wonderful part of the Lyne electorate, with oyster leases in the Hastings River, the Camden Haven River and the Myall Lakes. It's a great Australian product. (Time expired)

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