Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Hansard source

I acknowledge all colleagues on both sides with an interest in this area of portfolio responsibility and, indeed, the many staff members from the minister's office who work in challenging times. I just hope there is someone back there answering the phones! Minister Joyce, you and I agree, I am sure, that there is nothing more important in this portfolio than biosecurity, and I welcome a new initiative in the budget which has been described as 'the new national biosecurity initiative'. Can I ask you to explain how this new construct will work, and how much money has been allocated in the budget for the initiative?

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