By Alex Bainbridge
HOBART — The salmon industry used the opportunity of a federal cabinet meeting here on August 3 to mobilise opposition to the government's decision to allow uncooked salmon to be imported. Around 500 people rallied in Franklin Square after extensive advertising and favourable coverage in the local media.
Rally participants heard salmon industry representatives, Labor and Liberal members of state parliament and fishing celebrity Rex Hunt denounce the government's position in the name of defence of the local and national salmon industry.
Liberal opposition leader Sue Napier was the clearest advocate of protecting the industry and the jobs it provides. Hunt gave a populist speech claiming that recreational fishing helped alleviate social crises such as suicide and drug use.
Primary industries minister David Llewellyn expressed the opposition of the state Labor government, declaring it would amend state quarantine laws to keep out imported salmon.
Prime Minister John Howard rejected the demands, saying that Australia would be "murdered" in the event of an international trade war. Looking after the interests of Australian capital more broadly than just the salmon industry, Howard argued that Australian business had "more to gain than to lose by sticking to international trade rules".
The issue arose when the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) ruled that uncooked salmon could be imported. The decision was prompted by action taken by Canada at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The Canadian salmon industry wants greater access to Australian markets.
Since 1975, Australia has prohibited the import of raw salmon as a measure to protect introduced salmonids (such as trout) from disease. In December 1996, an "exhaustive" risk assessment concluded that the ban on imported raw salmon should remain. In response to the WTO ruling, AQIS launched an "accelerated" import risk assessment (which the industry claims did not allow sufficient consultation); this resulted in the decision to allow imports.
Democratic Socialist Party members attending the August 3 rally distributed a leaflet calling for a "full and open inquiry into the ecological effects of allowing uncooked salmon into Australia". The DSP said that "no decision should be made ... until such an inquiry has been completed".
The leaflet argued that working people cannot afford to be drawn into the "false choice" of supporting either free trade or protectionism, since both policies are designed to represent bosses' interests and inevitably disadvantage one or another group of working people. Instead, we need a platform of demands in our own interest, such as guaranteed jobs and minimum incomes for all.
Greens Senator Bob Brown wrote to federal agriculture, fisheries and forestry minister Mark Vaile on June 30 calling for the prohibition of all imports of raw fish and fish products into Australia.