
SA algae crisis ‘incredibly disturbing' but federal government won't declare natural disaster, Watt says
The environment minister, Murray Watt, announced the federal assistance package on Monday while visiting South Australia to see the impacts of a toxic algal bloom that for months has caused mass deaths of marine life across the state's beaches.
Watt said the bloom and its impacts were 'incredibly disturbing'. But he stopped short of declaring the event a natural disaster, saying the catastrophe did not meet the relevant definitions under the federal natural disaster framework.
Hanson-Young said the criteria used to declare such events should be examined.
As parliament returns, the South Australia-based senator also said she would push for an inquiry into the disaster to examine issues including the federal and state government responses to the event.
'South Australians have been crying out for weeks and months for federal action on this, so I'm glad to see the federal environment minister finally get to South Australia,' Hanson-Young told the ABC's Afternoon Briefing on Monday: '$14 million is good but nowhere near what will be needed.'
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Asked if the bloom was a national disaster, the Nationals leader, David Littleproud, said, 'obviously it's one of significance'.
'I think we need to broaden those definitions, and as a parliament we should do that,' he told Sky News on Monday. He also urged Labor to pursue other measures that would provide financial support to agricultural workers affected.
On Monday night, Anthony Albanese said federal funding had been timed 'appropriately' given the event was unfolding 'primarily in state waters'.
'Events do occur in our environment,' the prime minister told ABC's 7.30. 'What is important is that there be a response. We're responding, giving support to the South Australian government.'
The bloom of the microalgae species karenia mikimotoi was identified off South Australia's Fleurieu Peninsula in March, and grew to more than 4400 sq km, close to the size of Kangaroo Island.
It has been breaking up in recent weeks, spreading north into Spencer Gulf, south into the Coorong wetlands and along Adelaide's beaches in Gulf St Vincent into the Port River, killing tens of thousands of marine animals.
The money is likely to be used to pay for the clean-up of dead marine life from SA's beaches, support impacted businesses, bolster community awareness about the bloom and invest in science and research to better understand the incident.
'There's no doubting whatsoever that this is a very serious environmental event facing South Australia,' Watt told reporters on Monday.
'We are in uncharted waters here.'
Asked if the bloom and its impact should be declared a natural disaster, Watt said it was not possible under the existing definition despite calls from scientists, the Greens and SA's Labor premier.
A natural disaster declaration would trigger special federal assistance measures to support individuals, businesses and communities in their recovery.
'We have managed outside the usual natural disaster framework to marshal the type of resources that South Australia has asked for,' Watt said.
'One of the difficulties has been understanding exactly what its impacts are and what sort of response is required.
'We won't solve this overnight and we are, to some extent, relying on weather conditions to help disperse the algal bloom.'
Darcie Carruthers, the South Australia-based nature campaigner for the Australian Conservation Foundation, welcomed Watt's funding announcement but said it was overdue and more needed to be done.
'The federal government needs to focus on the causes of this economic and environmental disaster to prevent it from happening again,' Carruthers said.
'A marine heatwave and the water from the disastrous 2023 Murray Darling floods are both factors that have allowed the algae to take hold and both warming waters and floods are supercharged by burning fossil fuels.'
Paul Gamblin, the chief executive of the Australian Marine Conservation Society, said the devastating bloom shows
'nowhere is immune from the accelerating impacts of climate change', and called for
' major coordinated response that matches the scale of this emergency'.
'This unnatural, shocking event needs all hands on deck,' Gamblin said.
The algal bloom is naturally occurring, but the state's environment department has listed potential contributing factors including a marine heatwave that started in 2024, when sea temperatures were about 2.5C warmer than usual, combined with calm conditions.
Another was the 2022/23 River Murray flood that washed extra nutrients into the sea followed by an unprecedented cold-water upwelling in the summer of 2023/24 that brought nutrient-rich water to the surface.
Marine ecologist Dominic McAfee said the mortality in most heavily impacted areas was 'extremely confronting'.
'It seems like almost everything has died,' Dr McAfee, from the University of Adelaide's Environment Institute, told AAP.
'The impacts we're seeing now could just be the start of something more prolonged.'
Dr McAfee said it had been hoped winter winds and swells would 'disperse and nullify' the algae bloom, but this had not happened.
'And there's a chance that it will continue for many more months.'
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Daily Mail
25 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Texas floods lawmaker sent very insulting message about 'ICE Barbie' Kristi Noem hours after her visit to devastation
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BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
How goment fit reduce di impact of flood for Nigeria?
Recently Nigeria don experience floods for some part of di kontri wey claim lives and properties. Report wey come from Adamawa State for Northern Nigeria tok say some pipo don die and many odas wunjure afta heavy flood sweep several communities for Yola North and Yola South Local Govment Areas of di state. Di heavy rain start bifor day break and kontinu reach Sunday morning, and e cause serious wahala for di affected areas. Places like Shagari Low Cost, Sabon Pegi, and Modire Yolde Pate for Yola South LGA suffer worst from di rain wey cause flood wey destroy pipo property and displace families. Di Adamawa State Police Command, for press statement, tok say dem don join hand wit sojas from 23 Brigade, Yola, and dem rush go di affected areas to support di community and help people wey dey suffer. How eva Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri don defend wetin im goment do during di flood wahala. E beg make pipo focus on helping each oda instead of blaming goment wen disaster happun. For one statement wey e post for im Facebook page on Sunday, Governor Fintiri answer pipo wey dey criticize how di state handle di flood issue. E tokk say di goment no sit down dey look. "We dey on ground, my Deputy Governor Prof Kaletapwa Farauta and oda pipo dey field bicos we believe in action" e add. Di govnor also tok about di Chochi project wey don tey wey pipo dey tok say e go help stop flood for di state. "As for di Chochi project wey dem abandon since well, history go judge. No be eviri legacy dey age well." E send condolence to families wey lose loved ones and pray for people wey flood affect. "My heart dey with di families wey lose person and all di victims wey this flood touch." Recent flood incidents MAY 2025 - Di recent disaster for Nigeria wey claim many lives and properties na for Mokwa local goment area wey dey for Niger state for northern Nigeria. Reports from authorities for Nigeria tok say more than 200 die while dem still say ova 300 pipo don disappear during di flood wey happun for May 29. Di flood displace over 3,000 pipo in addition di floods wash away houses and bridges for di state. SEPTEMBER 2024 - While also last year Borno state for northern Eastern Nigeria experience one of di worst flood disaster for 30 years for di state. Di Borno flood also kill more dan 100 pipo and displace ova million pipo from dia homes according to wetin authorities tok for Nigeria. Di Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) recently don release one statement wey tok say floods go hit for some states for Nigeria say as raining season go soon reach im peak dis year. However many experts and authorities tink say floods wey dey happun for Nigeria na sake climate change wey dey happun for world. Di Niger state Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) tok say di recent flood kasala wey happun for di state na sake of climate change and deforestation. Na acting director general for NSEMA tok dis one for Channel TV wey e describe Mokwa flood as some wey dem neva experience before. Hussaini tok say even though dem predict flood for some parts of Mokwa, pipo believe say Mokwa town dey safe, becos e no dey directly for front or back of any big dam or river. "I wan tell you say na becos of climate change, wahala wey dey happun for weather, and how pipo dey cut trees anyhow, places wey neva see flood before, don dey flood now" Hussaini tok. "Na why I gatz tok say di flood wey happun dis time, nobodi expect am and e no easy to predict." "Dis time around, we only predict flood for some villages for Mokwa Local Goment area, especially dos wey dey near River Niger" e add. How goment fit reduce flood kasala for Nigeria One safety expert Dr. Yusuf Idris Garba wey dey for Department of Environmental Management, for Bayero University, Kano. Tell BBC News Pidgin say many tins wey dey cos flood for Nigeria na climate change, lack of dams maintenance and lack of drainages for di kontri. "Majorly flooding for Nigeria wey bin dey happun na lack of drainages, lack of dam maintenance and ogbonge one na di climate change" "basically rampant or inappropriate waste disposal wey we dey get for our cities dey lead to choke up of our drainages wey dey cause flooding" Dr Garba add say lack of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) dey contribute di water to over flaw di dams wey suppose to hold di flooding. "Like for di one wey happen for Maiduguri last year, I think some of di recommendation of di experts wey conduct di EIA in di construction of di dam and post-construction. "most of di challenges, na that maintenance attitude wey dey part of di tins wey result into some of di problems we face for Borno." E also tok on how unpredicted rain dey cos wahala for Nigeria sake of climate change. "Environmentally due to di some changes wey we dey get, like climate change, because of that, our rainfall dey tend to be unpredictable sake of wetin we dey call climatic uncertainties. "Sometimes you go see say we dey experience very high intense rainfall within very short period of time wey later go cause floods especially for dos areas wey no get plenty drainage" Wetin be solution? Dr Garba highlight some important tins both goment and pipo gatz do wey fit reduce di effect of floods for Nigeria. "Goment gats to involve expert and consultants wey sabi EIA, wey dey go do dams maintenance for di kontri. "Anoda tin be say pipo gats to stop dey dispose waste anyhow especially for drainages, wey go eventually cause blockage and floods" im tok. E also tok say many pipo dey build houses for where suppose be water ways only. "You go see many pipo dey build houses where suppose be water ways or drainages for water to dey pass. Which dey make di flood disaster hit pipo well-well whenever strong rain fall." We don take measures dis year – River Basin Jigawa In effort to tackle flood disaster for Nigeria, River Basin wey dey for North west of Nigeria tok say all measures dey in place wey go fit help stop flood disaster dis year. Tok tok persin for River Basin Development Authority for Hadejia, Jigawa state, Salisu Baba Hamza tell BBC News Pidgin say dem don take necessary measures as dem take last year wey give dem positive result. "Recently we don supervise all our dams wey dey under our River Basin region, to see if dem get any issue. Our managing director don order us to release di water wey dey in di dams. "Befor raining season we dey always make sure our dams dey open 24/7 supply water to pipo wey dey farm, so dat wen rain season reach im peak we no go face any flood kasala" Hamza tok. Di PRO also tok about how dem dey try to remove one grass wey dem dey call 'Typer grass' wey dey block water from passing. Hamza add say "Our dams dey link to many rivers but di problem be say we get one grass wey we dey call Typer grass wey dey very strong, dis grass dey block water to pass, dis situation fit cause kasala.


The Guardian
6 hours ago
- The Guardian
Australian-Palestinian MP says his people are always made to be ‘strangers in their own homes'
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