Gavin Pearce grilled over florfenicol and fisheries at Budget Estimates

Primary Industries and Water Minister Gavin Pearce has denied that the government lacked a clear communications strategy when the issue of florfenicol first came up, and that the public and members of parliament were confused about what was happening.

Opposition MPs grilled Mr Pearce during Budget Estimates for his portfolio.

The session was dominated by questions about salmon and fisheries, including the antibiotic florfenicol.

Salmon companies began using the antibiotic last year to prevent a mass fish mortality event similar to the one that occurred in early 2025.

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority suspended the emergency use permit for florfenicol on March 4.

Labor primary industries and water spokeswoman Janie Finlay asked Mr Pearce how information about the antibiotic was communicated when salmon companies first sought to use it.

“Minister, you call yourself a champion of the industry, but I don’t think the industry feels like they’re being championed when both you and the department leave the public confused – and, in fact – I think it would be fair to say that members of this committee and the parliament either intentionally or are actually also confused when the florfenicol issue first came up,” Ms Finlay said.

“Why didn’t you, or the department, more clearly develop a communication to explain florfenicol – to explain the monitoring, the regulation, the safeguards and the public health matters versus the trade issues?

“The community have been left in a void, and there’s a clear lack of understanding and concern created by that.”

Mr Pearce said he refuted the premise of Ms Finlay’s question.

“We quickly and flexibly moved into what was unknown territory, and I am convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that we did provide that feedback,” he said.

“I will stand in front of that department eight days a week and protect their very professionalism and approach to this, because that isn’t on – having a go at a department - when we’re trying to monitor, administer and supervise a therapeutic that had never been seen before.”

Ms Finlay also asked about what changes there would be to the Department of Natural Resources (NRE Tas) through the government’s operational efficiencies program.

Government agencies have been asked to find $1.47 billion in savings over the next four years.

NRE Tas Secretary Jason Jacobi said that he had called for expressions of interest for targeted negotiated voluntary redundancies across his department.

“That will provide all of the staff across NRE to make an application to me to be identified as a redundancy.

“I will be assessing each and every one of those applications on a case-by-case basis.”