Green or pink? This is the question plaguing Tasmania where the future of farmed salmon is swiftly becoming the election issue between Albanese and Dutton – a situation which is no doubt irritating Albanese considering it’s a conflict thrust upon him by the Environment Minister and a swarm of activists.

Hundreds of jobs are hanging in the balance on the west coast around Macquarie Harbour where large salmon companies have established themselves. If the problems circling the industry cannot be resolved, the political fallout will be immediate for the Labor Party.

Having championed eco-activism, Labor – through Tanya Plibersek – must now wear any politically inconvenient fallout within local communities whose constituents may choose retribution at the polls.

The future of salmon farming has been left dangling for more than a year pending environmental probes and endless reviews. Local families and businesses feel as if they are being punished by the process as much as the potential outcome. Should they persist? Should they pack up and leave? What happens to the value of their homes? These are questions no one wants to ask in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.

‘It’s simply not good enough that the Labor Party continues to hold an axe over the head of west coast salmon workers,’ said Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff, ‘and the Prime Minister must step in and show leadership on the issue, as he did in killing off the Minister’s disastrous environmental reforms earlier in the week.’

‘The science is clear that the Maugean Skate and salmon farming can coexist in Macquarie Harbour, with oxygenation levels in the Harbour at its best in a decade.

‘The Prime Minister’s promise to back our salmon industry must be realised and the right decisions must be made for Tasmanian workers by Christmas.

‘As part of 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future, we are backing in jobs, keeping our economy strong, and delivering for our regions and our Liberal government will continue to back our world-class sustainable salmon industry to the hilt.’

Early indications are that the oxygen levels of the harbour are returning to their pre-decline level, suggesting that salmon farming and the skate can continue to coexist. It may be too little too late. Environmentalists are not talking about winding back salmon farming, they are discussing its imminent erasure.

Tasmanian salmon farmers hold environmental licences for their operations, and the industry was expanded in 2012 while employing what has been described as world’s best practices. It is alleged by activists that the salmon farming industry, despite its best efforts to maintain high standards, inadvertently caused the health of the water to deteriorate. This is disputed by the industry which points to reports that acknowledge other contributing factors for water quality decline. However, if it turns out that the expansion of salmon farming was a mistake, then there are no good solutions – only apologies.

Worse, if the current battle to protect Macquarie Habour is lost, it is widely held that various environmental activist groups will seek out Tasmania’s other salmon fishing industries.

Sometimes it feels as if there is a general war against the food chain.

According to the ABC, ‘A group of 34 scientists have written to Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek urging her to revoke environmental approvals for the salmon farms in Macquarie Harbour, and “reposition” the local community as part of a transition away from its reliance on the industry.’

There’s no word on how a living, breathing community can be forcibly ‘transitioned’ out of its key source of income, but they will have time to ‘transition’ Labor out of power through the local seats of Lyons, Bass, and Braddon before they shut up shop.

A rift has opened up between the Environment Minister’s presumed responsibility to protect an endangered skate and Albanese’s responsibility to protect an Australian industry – or his position as Prime Minister – both are applicable.

The Australian reports that the ‘Liberals will weaponise Labor’s salmon fight and splits between Mr Albanese and Ms Plibersek to woo northern and central Tasmanians.’

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton appears to be putting more work into saving these seats than he did into saving the freedom of social media, offering various promises to undo any environmental tinkering. Albanese has been making promises too, splashing $28 million at water quality projects and a skate breeding program while signposting, as loudly as possible, that Labor supports Tasmanian salmon even if it is cuddling the skate behind the scenes.

We will give Mr Dutton the final word on this one, taken from part of his speech made to the Tasmanian Salmon Workers Rally in Wesley Vale:

‘What Tanya Plibersek and Anthony Albanese need to hear is that there is a human face to the consequences of decisions being made for political reasons. If people are making decisions on matters according to the law, and you can understand the rules and you need to abide by it, that is one way that we should approach any of these matters. Companies can do the environmental undertakings, and they can invest into all sorts of projects and ways in which you can make an industry sustainable, and that’s exactly what your industry has done. There is another way where it doesn’t matter what you do, it doesn’t matter what commitments the companies make, it doesn’t matter how hard you work, and it doesn’t matter how much you sacrifice, that there’s a predetermined outcome, and the government’s just going through the niceties until and like to live in the bad news of a decision that they’ve already made. So I believe very strongly that we can stare this bad decision down, and this fight has just started.’