Karen Andrews (McPherson, Liberal Party, Minister for Industry) Share this | Hansard source

I present the explanatory memorandum to this bill and move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

This bill is about ensuring the integrity of Australia's biosecurity framework, to protect our $61 billion agriculture industry and valuable and unique environmental assets from the incursion of pests and diseases.

A strong biosecurity system is critical to Australia's prosperity. Biosecurity laws protect agriculture, tourism and other industries, plant and animal health, the environment, and our market access. They are necessary to allow us to trade and for our nation to continue to thrive.

This bill clarifies the validity of determinations made under section 174 of the Biosecurity Act. These determinations specify that certain classes of goods are conditionally non-prohibited goods which must not be brought or imported into Australian territory unless they are covered by an import permit or unless alternative conditions specified in the determination are complied with.

The bill confirms that goods specified in such determinations are conditionally non-prohibited goods, and confirms the validity of any conditions imposed by the determination. It does not create or change classes of goods listed in the determinations, or the conditions that are imposed on such goods.

Conditionally non-prohibited goods pose a significant level of biosecurity risk if the specified conditions are not complied with. This can have serious consequences for Australia's biosecurity status, market access, plant, animal and human health, the economy and the environment.

In an increasingly complex trade and regulatory environment, it is important that goods which present an unacceptable level of risk of pests or diseases are subject to appropriate conditions before they are brought into Australia. These conditions include requirements for treatments or packaging, for example, a requirement to treat wood articles imported from specified countries with methyl bromide to prevent the goods arriving in Australia with the hitchhiker pest brown marmorated stink bug present.

Determinations made under section 174 of the act therefore play a central role in enabling the Australian government to manage biosecurity risks, and to prevent goods which present an unacceptable level of biosecurity risks from being brought into Australian territory. The passage of this bill will ensure clarity for our stakeholders, thereby benefiting Australian farmers, the agriculture industry, the environment, the economy and all Australians.

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