Casting a lure, the latest algal bloom announcement is voucher tourism

Sarah Herrmann, Yorke Peninsula Country Times

Coastal regions impacted by the algal bloom are set to benefit from a travel voucher program this spring.

The Coast Is Calling, delivered by the South Australian Tourism Commission, will release 20,000 vouchers for accommodation and experiences valued at up to $500 ahead of the September school holidays.

Eligible tourism businesses are invited to express their interest in participating from today (Tuesday, August 26) until Friday, August 29.

Public ballot entry will be September 19-22, with the ballot drawn on September 23, and the travel period occurring between September 24 and November 30.

For more information, visit tourism.sa.gov.au/support/campaigns/coast-is-calling-vouchers.

The travel voucher program forms part of the federal and state governments’ $28 million algal bloom support package.

More federal funding for algal bloom

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced $8.5M in new funding for the bloom during a visit to SA on Wednesday, August 20.

The funding includes $4M for local government grants, $2.25M for scientific research, $2M for marine heatwave monitoring, and $250,000 for research through the national environmental science program.

Asked at a press conference, Mr Albanese refused to declare the bloom a natural disaster, which the state opposition had called on him to do, instead calling it a “significant ecological event” and announcing a new funding stream for these events.

The funding would come from the government’s Regional Investment Corporation — a decision the Nationals have slammed for reducing the financial pool available to farmers experiencing drought.

Also at the press conference, Premier Peter Malinauskas said brevetoxin testing in Adelaide — which so far has been done in New Zealand — was expected to begin within four to six weeks.

The state government also hosted US algal bloom expert Don Anderson in Adelaide last week.

Mr Anderson said at a press conference that the best experts in the world could not answer how long the bloom would last.

He said the most relevant mitigation strategy for SA was modified clay, but that no one had tried it on a bloom of this size before.

And, while the bloom was alarming to us, it was not new to him, and ecosystems recovered remarkably fast, he said.

Advocacy continues

Narungga MP Fraser Ellis asked questions about grant criteria and event support when state parliament resumed last week.

Mr Ellis asked if pubs and hospitality businesses could immediately be made eligible for the support grants, pointing out that a Port Vincent kiosk was eligible but a pub on the other side of the road was not.

Treasurer Stephen Mullighan said the government was concerned about public perception of the algal bloom affecting communities, and was prepared to continue to be flexible in how they could help.

Mr Ellis also asked if community groups holding annual events could be supported financially with these events, should they not be successful due to the algal bloom.

Mr Mullighan said there was funding set aside in the $28m support package for this purpose, but the government would work on encouraging attendance of these events regardless of the algal bloom.

This article appeared in Yorke Peninsula Country Times, 26 August 2025.