Polling – Voting Intention & Salmon Farming

Media release – Australia Institute Tasmania, 24 April 2021

Polling: Majority of Tasmanians Want Pause of Tasmanian Salmon Farm Expansion

New research from the Australia Institute Tasmania finds most Tasmanians (63%) want a pause on expansion of salmon farms in Tasmania, expressing widespread (63.5%) concern that the health of Tasmania’s coastal waters is declining. More than one in two (56.3%) Tasmanians agree the Tasmanian Government is not doing enough to protect the health of our oceans.

Key Findings:

• More than six in ten (63%) Tasmanians agreed that expansion of salmon farms in Tasmania should be paused until industry standards are developed and current government inquiries and reviews into the industry have been completed, with only 27.8% disagreeing
• Vast majority (63.5%) of Tasmanians agreed that they were concerned that the health of Tasmania’s coastal waters is declining, with 34.9% strongly agreeing (the most popular response), only 22.9% disagreed.
• More than one in two (56.3%) Tasmanians agree the Tasmanian Government is not doing enough to protect the health of our ocean, with only 29.4% disagreeing.
• Primary vote: Liberal Party 40.2%, Labor Party 27.4%, Greens 12.4%, Independent 10.2%, Other 2.8%, Undecided 7.0%