Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the amendments be agreed to.

First and foremost I would like to thank the Senate for supporting the government's amendment to the Biosecurity Bill 2014. I would also like to thank senators and key industry stakeholders for their scrutiny of, and contribution to, the development of this legislation, which has been more than six years in the making. I can see it before you, Madam Speaker, and it is approximately 634 pages. It is one of the largest pieces of legislation that this parliament will ever see.

I would especially like to mention the work of over 400 stakeholders and industry groups over the course of the development of this bill and in particular the recent work of the National Farmers' Federation and the NSW Farmers biosecurity committee in helping to ensure that the legislation has been given the chance to see the light of day. I would like to acknowledge the previous government for its foresight in commencing the development of this legislation and the current opposition's cooperation in its passage through the Senate.

Consequently, we have listened to the opposition, industry and the crossbenchers and have updated the legislation to reflect the need for the Inspector-General of Biosecurity position to be enshrined in statute. I highlight that, despite the great deal of misinformation being peddled during the Senate debate, the position of the inspector-general was never under threat in the government's proposed bill; however, a statutory position was what was asked for and we have delivered.

The Inspector-General of Biosecurity is of vital importance to the integrity of the system and to our stakeholders' confidence in the system. It was under the Quarantine Act, is today and will be under the Biosecurity Bill. This amendment enshrines in statute the inspector-general's ability to review the biosecurity system and provides transparency and independence in his or her ability to conduct effective reviews of Australia's biosecurity system. Independent reviews of the biosecurity system have resulted in and will continue to result in improvements to that system and provide assurance for its stakeholders.

Today marks an incredibly significant milestone in the biggest overhaul to Australia's biosecurity system in over 100 years. Today also signals the retirement of the Quarantine Act 1908. This new and historic biosecurity bill will enable us to continue to meet the challenges of the future with a modern and simple piece of legislation. Biosecurity risks have changed significantly since the core of the Quarantine Act was drafted over 107 years ago. At that point in time at the beginning of the century our biggest challenges were typhus, cholera and tuberculosis. We now face new and ever-changing risks such as ebola, cucumber green mottle mosaic virus, Panama TR4 and many more. Even today on high colour we are talking about Mr Johnny Depp, who has decided to bring his two dogs in without following the proper protocol.

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