Greens MP demands plebiscite to settle 'ludicrous' shark net debate
The costly and time-consuming same-sex marriage plebiscite is dead in the water, but if a NSW Greens MP has her way a new public poll could decide what happens to sharks in waters off the state.
Ballina MP Tamara Smith has demanded the Baird Government put to a public vote plans to introduce ‘dolphin-killing’ shark nets along the east coast.
“My community has always been divided on shark mesh nets, but I believe we have always been able to have a civil conversation about it.,” she told parliament in Sydney on Wednesday.
“That is what we are calling on the Government to do, conduct a plebiscite to find out what people would really like to see happen.
“But perhaps the government has no interest in finding out what the community actually wants.”
Yahoo7 has contacted Ms Smith for comment.
The shark net issue has proved to be a headache for NSW Premier Mike Baird.
Just days after being forced into an about-face on his ban on greyhound racing, he also sounded the retreat on his opposition to shark nets.
The Baird government on October 12 said it would introduce a trial of shark nets on NSW northern beaches, after previously rejecting the method in favour of ‘smart drum lines’.
But a series of shark attacks and claims the government was too sympathetic towards sharks brought a new change of tune.
"Ultimately we get to the point where we have to prioritise human life over everything," Mr Baird said.
"So we will be writing to the federal government asking for a six-month trial of nets on those north coast beaches."
The NSW Government would fund the six week trial through its existing $16 million shark mitigation fund.
While reversal appears to have opened a new front for the government, with some environmentalists arguing the nets would be devastating to other marine creatures like dolphins, Ms Smith said a debate focusing on sharks’ rights versus humans’ would not be good enough.
“They oversimplify the debate to one in which a person advocating for safer ocean use is anti environmental and a person advocating for the protection of our marine life is anti-human.,” she said in parliament on Wednesday.
“We are smarter than this, but that will not stop the media or politicians from foisting this ludicrous binary argument on us.”
