The Tasmanian Liberal government has announced a pause on salmon farm expansion and an independent review of the industry, as Premier Jeremy Rockliff seeks crossbench support to survive a no-confidence motion when parliament returns this week.
Rockliff stated that the industry is "on notice" after a mass mortality event last summer and must operate transparently and responsibly. The government plans to introduce a marine environment act to strengthen regulation and commission a study by an "off-island specialist organisation", during which expansion will be paused.
The move follows a snap election last month that resulted in a hung parliament with 14 Liberals, 10 Labor, five Greens, and six crossbenchers. Labor leader Dean Winter has promised a no-confidence motion on the first day back, while crossbench MPs have welcomed the salmon concession but await further details.
Independent MP Peter George called the announcement a "real step forward", but cautioned that "the devil is in the detail". Craig Garland, another independent, "cautiously welcomed" the pledge and urged Labor to support it. Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff described it as a "potential turning point" but noted the Liberals' "terrible record of inaction on environmental protection".
Labor's Janie Finlay accused Rockliff of breaking previous promises and said he would "say anything, promise anything" to keep power. The salmon pledge follows other post-election concessions, including scrapping plans to log protected forests and banning greyhound racing from 2029.
