Federal and state governments at odds over Tasmania's salmon farming regulatory future

Federal and Tasmanian state authorities are in active negotiation over the regulatory framework for Tasmania's $1.4 billion salmon aquaculture industry, with the Commonwealth Environment Department seeking greater oversight of the industry's environmental impacts through the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act — a development the Tasmanian government has resisted as an intrusion into state jurisdiction over marine farming.

The tension arises from environment groups' application to the federal government to have fin fish farming in Tasmanian waters declared a "controlled action" under the EPBC Act, which would require federal environmental impact assessment for any expansion of existing farms or establishment of new ones. The federal Environment Minister's determination on the application is expected before the end of the quarter.

Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek confirmed the application was under assessment and said the Commonwealth had a clear responsibility to assess environmental impacts on Commonwealth marine areas and migratory species that transcended state borders. "The fish and the marine environment in Bass Strait and the Southern Ocean are not Tasmania's exclusively — they are a national estate," she said.

Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff strongly opposed federal EPBC coverage, arguing it would create unnecessary regulatory duplication, add years and millions of dollars in compliance costs to industry approvals, and threaten a major regional employer whose 5,000-person workforce was concentrated in communities with few alternative economic options. "We have just reformed our own regulatory framework comprehensively. The last thing our industry needs is a federal layer on top," he said.

The salmon industry is closely watching the federal determination, which will be legally binding on the Minister regardless of state government representations.

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