Claire Chandler (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Reconsideration of Decisions) Bill 2024 is an incredibly important private senator's bill we are debating here today, introduced by my colleague Senator Richard Colbeck. He's done an incredible amount of work drafting this bill, which will provide the certainty that Tasmania's salmon workers need. Like I said, Senator Richard Colbeck has done an incredible amount of work on this bill. It is important to provide the salmon workers of Tasmania the certainty they need. I have spent many hours over the last few years meeting with Tasmania's salmon workers and talking to them about their concerns of a lack of certainty over their industry. I think it is incredibly important we listen to those concerns in this place.

As my colleagues who have already spoken on this bill, Senator Duniam and Senator Colbeck, have shared, Tasmanian salmon workers are hurting right now. They are hurting because this government has a decision sitting over their heads, meaning that they don't know if they are going to see another Christmas or another year working in their local industry. My colleagues Senator Colbeck and our fellow Senate candidate at the upcoming election, Jacki Martin, and I have spent time on the West Coast of Tasmania in Strahan, speaking to salmon workers and listening to their concerns. I know this bill that Senator Colbeck has introduced here today is incredibly important in doing that.

If we are able to bring this bill on for vote today—and I certainly do hope that is something we can do—then I think that will go some way to providing the certainty that this industry needs. The government has not provided them with that certainty. The government has not listened to Tasmanian salmon workers. It has not listened to the concerns of the industry and what they are seeking to achieve. They just want certainty.