Save our Oceans rally in Adelaide

Written by: Ned K. on 27 July 2025

On Sunday 27 July, about three hundred people from a number of grass roots environmental organizations rallied on the steps of SA Parliament House to heighten public awareness of the devastating impact of global warming and climate change on Earth's oceans.

Speakers included First Nations persons and scientists who have been warning governments for decades about the impact of algal blooms in the SA ocean waters.

The current algal bloom caused by rising ocean temperatures and changes in ocean currents has killed marine life in irreversible numbers as it spread along the coastal waters of the South-East of South Australia and gradually suffocated large areas of both the Gulf St Vincent and Spencer Gulf.

Speakers pointed out that when the previous algal bloom appeared in 2013 in coastal areas, marine biologists warned governments at state and federal level that the algal blooms would re-appear in larger more destructive forms due to the increasing impact of climate change on ocean temperatures.

In the week leading up to the Sunday rally, both the federal and state governments announced $14million each towards research about the algae and how to prevent it and also towards financial support for businesses and workers affected by the algae bloom's impact.

The federal government Minister Murray Watt did a "fly in, fly out" visit for a couple of hours with a photo shot of him on a suburban beach near some dead fish killed by the algae bloom.

The SA Premier belatedly expressed concern about the impact of the algae bloom, a brief respite from his obsession with Liv Golf and other sports events as saviours for the SA economy

Fund Our Future, Not Our Decimation

“Fund Our Future, Not Our Decimation" was one of the hand-written signs of one of the young people at the rally. It summed up what more and more young people think governments should be doing. Funding fossil fuel industries and spending money on the military industrial complex and Liv Golf for billionaire golfers are not top priorities for a growing number of vocal, active young people like those at this rally.

The devastating impact of climate change is affecting people in many walks of life. The algae bloom impact has seen united action by people from very different sectors of society.

First Nations people, commercial fishing people, recreational fishers, suburban and regional beach walkers, people who like swimming in the sea, surfers, environmentalists, tourism industry businesses and workers and whole small coastal town communities.

People from this diverse range of people were present at the rally in Adelaide. 

First Nations speakers at the rally said that people coming together from diverse backgrounds were a powerful force to save the oceans and indeed the planet.

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