Peter McGauran (Gippsland, National Party, Deputy Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question. I fully appreciate the hardship being caused to the horse industries of North Queensland, and elsewhere in New South Wales and Queensland, as the indefinite ban on the movement of horses continues. The core of the honourable member’s question will be addressed by former High Court Judge Ian Callinan as he conducts his inquiry into the source of the equine influenza outbreak and makes an assessment of the quarantine system. All going well, tomorrow I will be introducing into the House the powers needed for him to subpoena persons and documents. He has signalled he will conduct public hearings on a needs basis. I will also be releasing the terms of reference which he has agreed upon.

The honourable member has asked me a number of questions about state DPIs. I should simply say that I think they are doing brilliant work on the ground tracing the number of horses and identifying the infected premises in an attempt to contain and eradicate the infection. I cannot say the same for the state governments of New South Wales and Queensland which have done nothing in any way to mitigate the economic loss of thousands of businesses and individuals.

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