The Berejiklian government should abandon its shark net program after a Senate inquiry found nets caused more harm than good to marine life, the NSW Greens say.
In a final report released on Tuesday, an upper house committee charged with examining shark mitigation and deterrent measures said it was “impossible for lethal shark control measures to guarantee public safety”.
The report found the measures implemented by some governments, including mesh nets and traditional drum lines in NSW and Queensland, provided beachgoers with a false sense of security.
NSW Greens marine spokesman Justin Field on Wednesday called on Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair to abandon the nets and redirect the resources to where they will be more effective.
“The report shows that people are 100 times more likely to drown at the beach than to be killed by a shark in Australia. The risk is infinitesimally small,” he said in a statement.
“The millions (of dollars) currently going into the shark net program should be directed to observation towers for our lifeguards, and improving whole of beach and personal deterrent devices.”
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