Overview

• Anthony Albanese visited Kangaroo Island and Adelaide and unveiled $6.25 million in new federal support, including $4 million for local government grants, $2 million for CSIRO monitoring of marine heatwaves and $250,000 for algal bloom research.
• The federal government will expand the Regional Investment Corporation to cover slow‑onset ecological events such as algal blooms, with operational details yet to be outlined.
• Nationals leader David Littleproud warned expanding the RIC could dilute funds intended for farmers facing drought, citing billions already committed in concessional loans.
• Adelaide-based Agilex Biolabs now has a national brevetoxin testing capability backed by government support, ending the need to send shellfish samples to New Zealand after toxins were detected and some harvesting areas were closed.
• The prime minister declined to classify the event as a national disaster, calling it a significant ecological event, drawing criticism from federal and SA opposition leaders who demanded a formal disaster declaration.