An Australian senator dramatically presented a dead salmon in a plastic bag during a parliamentary session to protest against a proposed bill.
The bill, backed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Labor government, aims to safeguard salmon-farming jobs but also restricts public rights to review and challenge environmental decisions.
Critics, including environmental groups and some politicians, have raised concerns about salmon farming in Tasmania, arguing that it pollutes waterways.
Tasmania is home to the endangered Maugean skate, which inhabits Macquarie Harbour. Conservationists worry that pollution from salmon farms could further threaten the species.
Green Party Senator Sarah Hanson-Young accused the Labor government of betraying its environmental commitments while holding up the fish in protest.
Senate President Sue Lines quickly intervened, instructing Hanson-Young to remove what she referred to as a “prop” from the chamber.