An Australian senator has revealed a dead salmon in a plastic bag while speaking in parliament, in protest against a bill being debated.
The bill is designed to protect salmon-farming jobs, prime minister Anthony Albanese’s Labor government says, but it would also limit the public’s ability to review and challenge environmental decisions.
Some politicians and environmental groups have already questioned salmon-farming practices in the state of Tasmania, accusing them of polluting waterways.
Tasmania is home to the Maugean skate, an endangered fish that dwells in the Macquarie Harbour, and conservationists are concerned about how pollution may affect them.
Green Party Senator Sarah Hanson-Young accused the Labor party of having “sold out on your environmental credentials” as she wielded the fish.
President of the Senate Sue Lines called for Hanson-Young to remove “the prop” from the chamber.
