Senate inquiry finds state and federal governments were unprepared for South Australia’s devastating algal bloom
A Senate inquiry into South Australia’s devastating algal bloom has found state and federal officials were caught off guard, calling for stronger long-term investment in ocean research and clearer disaster response frameworks.
The inquiry, chaired by the Greens led by Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, examined how state and federal governments coordinated their response to the widespread bloom, which has overwhelmed marine ecosystems since it first emerged on the Fleurieu Peninsula in March.
The committee’s 207-page report, presented on Tuesday, called for a national approach to “climate-induced, slow-onset and major ecological events” and continued funding to support ocean monitoring and harmful algal bloom (HAB) research.
“The committee heard that the SA government was unprepared for HAB due to a lack of long-term ecological and HAB monitoring along the SA coastline,” the report said.
He warned that the incident revealed “the limitations of existing research and monitoring programmes” and stressed the need for steady national investment to improve early detection and response capabilities.
Senator Hanson-Young said the findings showed both levels of government were “ill-prepared and asleep at the wheel”.
“This investigation has exposed how unprepared the state and federal government are for the climate-induced disaster we are experiencing along our coastline in SA,” Ms Hanson-Young said.
Communities and industries affected by the bloom will need ongoing support, not just short-term fixes, he said.
“We must ensure that we respond better to such events in the future and provide not just the immediate but ongoing and long-term support that our communities, our industry and our environment will need in the months and years to come.”
The Senate committee also recommended clearer definition of government responsibilities and “continued funding” for oceanography and algal bloom research.
But he acknowledged that full-scale reef restoration could exceed $500 million.
Algal blooms have spread across more than 4,000 square kilometers of coastline as of May, causing widespread marine mortality on beaches from Adelaide to regional areas.
Hopes that economic support would wane over the winter months were dashed, with a $28 million support package emerging in July and later a $102.5 million “summer plan” jointly funded by the state and federal governments.
Blooms have recently begun to disintegrate along Adelaide’s metropolitan beaches, officials said, amid a rapid decline in cell counts of the harmful Karenia species.
SA Prime Minister Peter Malinauskas defended his government’s handling of the crisis, saying it was an unprecedented ecological event.
“No one really predicted the algal bloom,” Mr. Malinauskas said.
“We are facing an unprecedented ecological event that humans cannot control beyond addressing climate change.”
He rejected suggestions that the government could have prevented the outbreak.
“A lot of people talk about this as if you could have stopped the algal bloom if you had taken action sooner, which of course is complete nonsense and not supported by any science or evidence.”
Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt said the Albanian government would carefully examine the report’s findings.
A separate inquiry into the disaster is currently ongoing in the South Australian parliament.
