Sarah Herrmann, Yorke Peninsula Country Times

An Ardrossan commercial fisherman gave state government representatives a piece of his mind at a government-run algal bloom community forum in Minlaton last week, criticising their grant eligibility criteria and calling for action on fish stocks.

The crowd applauded Michael Pennington as he berated a Q&A panel including tourism minister Zoe Bettison, SARDI executive director Mike Steer, SA Health public health physician Kimberly Humphrey, PIRSA fisheries and aquaculture executive director Gavin Begg and SA Tourism Commission executive director Chris Burford on Thursday, August 14.

The Q&A and Mr Pennington’s tirade came after widely known algal bloom information was shared in the fourth major forum on the issue held on Yorke Peninsula — the first led by the state government — since the disaster began.

“This (holding the forum) is not doing your job. This is trying to get another headline that we’re out here doing something — you’re doing nothing, you’re wasting taxpayers’ money,” he said.

“Sixty-five days I have not been able to go to work and I do not meet the (grant) criteria and there are other fishermen right here, right now who are in a worse spot than me.

“We are the most affected waters in the state right now and we don’t even have (SA premier Peter) Malinauskas here — he should be here tonight.”

Rage against the machine

Ms Bettison and Mr Begg encouraged Mr Pennington to speak to Department of State Development (DSD) staff present at the forum about how the grant eligibility criteria could be improved, and his personal circumstances.

Mr Pennington then interrogated the panel about protecting remaining fish stocks, which have been depleted by the bloom.

“You have watched all of this happen, the excessive catches of whiting and squid and it’s happening now in the Spencer Gulf, and we’ve done nothing to stop it,” he said.

“That is mismanagement at the highest degree.”

The panel did not respond to these remarks.

Stansbury commercial fisher Andrew Pisani also asked the panel about reviewing fishing practices, with Mr Begg revealing the “rapid” fish stock assessments announced as part of the government support package on July 22 had not yet begun.

“There’s a whole lot of work that will kick off very, very soon and industry will be heavily involved,” Mr Begg said.

“There’s a meeting on Monday (August 18) where SARDI’s going to present their whole proposed program in terms of exploring both gulfs.

“Before we go in and make any major changes, let’s see what we’re dealing with first.”

Mr Pisani, Yorke Peninsula Council elected member Michael O’Connell and Stansbury commercial fisherman Paul Germein also shared concerns around the grant eligibility criteria.

“We had a really exceptional year with our squid for two months; last year we had a really bad year for our squid for two months,” Mr Germein said.

“To do the balance of the last year and this year, I’m not going to qualify for this grant and I know a lot of other people in the same situation in Gulf St Vincent that won’t qualify for this grant.

“I’ll still apply for it under special circumstances but I just think the way they’ve designed the plan is totally wrong.

“Why do we (fishers) have to show 50 per cent (decline) when everyone else only has to show a 30 per cent drop?”

Ms Bettison encouraged people to apply for a grant even if they did not perfectly fit the criteria, despite seemingly not being across the turnover conditions herself, at one point saying August was part of the qualifying period, which was incorrect.

When the YP Country Times asked Ms Bettison how many grant applications the government had received and how many had been approved, she said “I’ll just get DSD to give me those final figures that are going through … I’ll get those figures to you before the end of tonight.”

Two grants to a total value of $100,000 under the Fisheries and Aquaculture Assistance Grant Program had so far been approved, with a further six applications under active assessment, a government spokesperson told the YPCT the following day.

Thirteen businesses had been approved for the $10,000 small business support grants, with 11 payments already made, and 15 further applications under active assessment.

Grant applications opened on July 29, with the government committing to processing them within 15 business days.

For more information, visit algalbloom.sa.gov.au.

Grant eligibility updated

More businesses will be eligible for algal bloom grants with the qualifying criteria expanding, the state government announced yesterday (Monday, August 18).

As a result of industry consultation, changes to the grant criteria include extending the application close date from September 12 to November 30, and extending the turnover decline qualifying period from April 1 to October 31 (previously April 1 to July 31).

Specifically for the Fisheries and Aquaculture Assistance Grant, the requirement to demonstrate a 50 per cent or more decline in catch or harvest in three consecutive months has been lowered to 30 per cent.

The state government has said it would continue to review the grant program and make further adjustments where necessary.

Further details of the changes will become available at business. sa.gov.au/programs/algal-bloom.

Fishing licence fees have also been waived for the September quarter, and an additional $160,000 will be invested in boat safety and mental health program Stay Afloat. 

This article appeared in Yorke Peninsula Country Times, 19 August 2025.