Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support the Biosecurity Amendment (Strengthening Biosecurity) Bill 2022 and the important reforms it represents for protecting our nation and our economy. As most know, Australia is acknowledged as having one of most comprehensive biosecurity laws globally, but we're experiencing ever-increasing threats to industry, jobs and, therefore, our way of life.

With this bill, the government are showing that we are serious about ensuring the safety of our citizens and protecting our economy from the increasing threats of biosecurity hazards by introducing new range of civil and criminal penalties, enhancing the ability to share information, and ensuring effective and efficient processes. It provides several minor amendments to improve the management of biosecurity nationally and operational effectiveness. Importantly, it gives the government the power to make determinations in response to imminent threats, including the ability to specify entry requirements for incoming travellers and put forward more preventative biosecurity measures. This is important so that we can act immediately to prevent or reduce the risk of disease or a pest that poses a threat to our biosecurity. The passage of this bill will mean that biosecurity officers can act on any biosecurity risk that could enter Australia, whether it be by air or sea. These clearer regulations help our officers provide more-comprehensive security and are another mechanism in preventing biosecurity risk from finding a home here.

This bill is a response to the rising risks seen globally, which have been a concern not only for our government but also for Australians across the nation. Take the ongoing risk of COVID-19 or the emergence of foot-and-mouth disease in Indonesia. In May, foot-and-mouth was spreading throughout Indonesia. This was a big risk for us as a nation, but it was responded to quickly by the newly elected Albanese government with the introduction of the Biosecurity (Foot and Mouth Disease Biosecurity Response Zone) Determination 2022. The government's response to the new dangers was credited by some as the strongest-ever response to a biosecurity threat in our nation's history.

While the system has performed very well today, Australia cannot afford to become complacent. This is a bill that is going to tackle and remove any room for complacency. It will provide Australians with a system futureproofed against biosecurity threats that could hurt the livelihoods of millions of Australians. Let's not forget that here we are creating a safeguard around our $70.3 billion agricultural export industries, protecting some 1.6 million jobs across the agricultural supply chain and, frankly, protecting our way of life. If we protect our local industries, we'll also be protecting the average Australian consumer from additional costs that would come from the disruption of that supply chain.

We have recently seen the importance of this. As the Whittlesea review reported earlier this year, the city of Whittlesea in my electorate of McEwen heard from the Victorian Apiarists Association Melbourne section secretary, Rob Kerr, on the cruciality of bees for human survival. He talked about the alarm of the Australian honey industry due to the emergence of varroa mite. Varroa mite is one of the main threats to the beekeeping industry globally and had previously not been detected in Australia until earlier this year. The impact of this breach in biosecurity is not only having a devastating impact on the New South Wales beekeeping industry. That, in turn, has had flow-on effects for the beekeeping industry in Victoria. The mite's entrance to Australia could affect an industry that's worth some $14.2 billion, according to the SMH, driving Australian beekeepers out of the industry and could once again put pressure on grocery prices and even bring down the quality of groceries that we have. That is as an example that shows how widespread the effects can be from an isolated breach in biosecurity and how it can influence the entire supply chain. The Age has reported the varroa mite is credited with a $200 million loss in Victoria's almond industry due to the inability to get the number of beehives needed to pollinate.

This is why we must do everything we can to protect agricultural industries and the Australian economy from biosecurity hazards, which is what this bill does. We are not afraid to act to keep the Australian industry safe. We are acting to enshrine the security of industry and consumers. To do that, we are appropriately increasing the penalties for those who don't adhere to biosecurity requirements. This is important because we need to deter people from taking risks and making decisions that will endanger Australians. Biosecurity is everyone's responsibility, and everyone needs to do the right thing. If they don't, the Australian public rightfully expect that the punishment should fit the crime. This bill ensures that. If you want to ensure Australia remains free of pests and diseases, such as foot-and-mouth disease, the Biosecurity Act must remain fit for purpose and futureproofed.

I want to highlight that this is not the only way we are protecting Australia's biosecurity interests. As a government, we understand the importance of tackling these issues in a holistic way. While we're bringing this legislation to the House—and it will go a long way to deter people and hold people and private entities to account—we are also helping the global effort to combat those diseases that affect our agricultural industries. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has been working with its Indonesian counterparts to combat the recent FMD outbreak. We are providing support through vaccines, having provided four million doses since August. Dr Chris Parker from the department says: 'Our endgame is to assist them in getting things under control so that Indonesia will be no different from the other 70 countries globally that have FMD.' This approach reduces the risk of it occurring in Australia, especially due to the amount of trade, tourism and proximity that our two countries share.

This government understands the importance of handling this issue in a multifaceted way. We want to reassure the Australian public we are doing everything we can to protect Australians and their livelihoods. Every industry will benefit from the introduction of our new biosecurity laws, with the average Australian benefiting from these safeguards because protecting our agricultural industry will keep the cost of living down and keep our economy growing. We are protecting our farmers and their livelihoods with this bill. We are protecting the export industries that keep our economy moving and growing. Importantly, we are protecting Australians from the rise in costs that would happen if these diseases were introduced to Australia.

We have seen the impact that an introduced biosecurity threat has had on the Australian industry through the introduction of the varroa mite, with more hives being destroyed every day as it spreads across New South Wales. We have seen the chain of impacts this has had on other agricultural industries and the economic flow-on effect that a biosecurity breach can induce. We know these threats are ever-changing and ever-growing.

The Albanese Labor government want to assure Australians that we will not rest while these threats are on our doorstep and that we are moving to ensure our nation and our economy are protected. Under the Gillard government, as the member for Riverina pointed out, we built a $750 million quarantine centre. It's the most modern and up-to-date facility for plants and animals, and it actually delivers safety across the nation. We often overlook just how important these things are. But, as I mentioned with regard to varroa mite, if we don't have bees, we don't have food. That's a really big issue facing Australians. With climate change also impacting dramatically on our bee industries and bees across the globe, it's something we have to fight harder to get on top of.

We should act quickly to pass this legislation so that Australia can face its biosecurity challenges stronger than ever. I proudly stand for this bill, because the Albanese Labor government stands to protect our biosecurity integrity. We are acting quickly to do all that we can to tackle this issue effectively.

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