Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | Hansard source

I present the explanatory memorandum to this bill and move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

Australia's world-class biosecurity framework has ensured that our $60 billion agricultural industry, local communities and natural environment are protected from the incursion of pests and diseases.

The Agriculture Legislation Amendment (Streamlining Administration) Bill 2019 will assist the efficiency and effectiveness of our biosecurity system, by authorising automated decision-making for decisions made by biosecurity officers under the Biosecurity Act 2015 and authorised officers under the Imported Food Control Act 1992. This approach will support deregulation and improve the effectiveness of the biosecurity framework and imported food system.

Australia's biosecurity framework plays a critical role in reducing risk of incursions by pests and diseases. The Department of Agriculture currently processes on average 45,000 commercial cargo referrals and an increasing value of imported foods each month. Australia is currently operating in the peak season for the brown marmorated stink bug, or BMSB, which entails considerable administrative and manual effort by biosecurity staff and stakeholders to prevent an incursion of this potentially devastating pest.

The department is also dedicating intensive resources to prevent African swine fever virus, or ASFV, from entering Australian borders. ASFV poses a significant biosecurity threat to Australia as it is a highly contagious disease that spreads rapidly through domestic and wild pigs, killing up to 80 per cent of the pigs it infects. As of September 2019, ASFV had reached the shores of our near neighbour East Timor. Other high-risk pests include the khapra beetle and the continued threat posed by foot-and-mouth disease.

If we do not provide Australia's biosecurity framework with all possible tools to prevent the entry of such high-risk pests and diseases, Australia's agricultural industry and world-leading reputation for biosecurity may be irreparably damaged.

This bill clarifies the legislative basis for the government to issue directions to importers and brokers arranging the entry of goods and imported food into Australia, through the use of computerised decision-making. Such automated decision-making will enable the government to maximise resources addressing critical risks, and ensure current and planned decision tools can be implemented as efficiently as possible, with minimal impacts on importers.

The bill will provide the secretary the power to determine, by legislative instrument, the types of decisions a computer program may make on behalf of a biosecurity officer or an authorised officer. This will allow the government to adapt to developments in technology and account for future iterations of automated decision-making systems. In this, the bill will provide a platform for immediate and ongoing improvement in regulatory decision-making.

To take into account technical difficulties that may be experienced by computer systems, the bill also enables a biosecurity officer or an authorised officer to substitute automated decisions where appropriate.

As the government enters the peak pre-Christmas season for cargo referred for inspection, including the increased inspection for ASFV and BMSB, optimising our operational efficiencies is critical. The operational environment of high volumes of goods and people entering Australia, and the potential for negative impact on Australia's agriculture, environment and economy if biosecurity risk or food safety is not effectively identified and managed, mean that it is necessary to provide automated decision-making. The bill is therefore critical for Australia's biosecurity framework to operate efficiently and effectively for the health and safety of all Australians. I commend the bill to the House.

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