Louise Markus (Macquarie, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak on the importance of strict controls on apple importation. The Gillard Labor-Greens alliance government continues to threaten the economic security of the nation. They do so by pursuing ineffective biosecurity policies that are gambling with our future. This is evident in their failure to understand and to act in the best interests of our apple industry.

Apple growing in Bilpin is an important part of the Hawkesbury economy, adding millions to the region and offering employment and export opportunities. In 2006 Bilpin produced 72,700 kilograms of apples across 14 orchards set on 88 hectares. I call on the Gillard Labor government to protect the Australian apple industry from fire blight. It is not good enough to expose local growers like those in the Hawkesbury to fire blight, and other insidious diseases, because of funding cuts. I recently met with apple growers in Bilpin. They are gravely concerned that current protocols will not prevent this disease of imported New Zealand apples from infecting local apple orchards.

The Senate Rural and Regional Affairs Committee sought to investigate quarantine practices in New Zealand. As reported by numerous media sources, New Zealand growers were not prepared to allow Australian parliamentarians to view both infected and non-infected orchards. The 2008 Beale Review into Australia's Quarantine and Biosecurity Arrangements stated that Australia's border defences were significantly under-resourced, putting Australia's economy, people and environment at significant risk. Apples have not been imported from New Zealand for 90 years as a result of efforts by Customs quarantine officials to protect Australia's biosecurity. Fire blight has not infected Australian orchards because of strict quarantine controls and protocols.

Labor's 2009-10 federal budget slashed $35.8 million from the quarantine and biosecurity budgets, leading to the loss of 125 jobs and reduced inspections of arriving passengers and cargo. An amount of $58 million was slashed from the Customs budget in the same year, leading to 4.7 million fewer air cargo consignments being inspected each year and 2,150 fewer vessels being boarded on arrival. These cuts leave Australia exposed and our biosecurity at risk.

Fire blight has the potential to completely destroy the apple industry. Entire orchards could be wiped out in a single growing season. It will take only one infection for the disease to spread, but by then it will be too late. In the 46 nations where this disease has been found, none have succeeded in eradicating it. The standard practice if disease is found is to quarantine the orchard and burn the crops. Neighbouring farms are also quarantined until the disease is found and eliminated from the area. We cannot afford to risk the unique, disease-free nature of this industry. In Bilpin, apple growers face a greater risk because of their close proximity to Sydney. Fire blight is most aggressive in warm weather and moist climatic conditions, such as those found in the Hawkesbury over the summer months. The destruction of the entire industry would be bad enough, but the potential flow-on effects for local small businesses, particularly in apple-growing regions, would be staggering. Fertilizer suppliers, transport companies and farm machinery providers are just some local small businesses that would be affected.

The shadow minister for agriculture and food security has raised concerns that major supermarket chains may use the opportunity to exploit cheap imports at the expense of local growers. The peak body on this issue, Apple and Pear Australia Ltd, is concerned about the lack of consultation with the government on importation protocols. In a media release dated 4 May the APAL recommended that importation regulations should be stricter with visual inspections to be completed over a larger sample of imported apples. Visual inspections should be over 600 boxes or 75,000 apples in a consignment, not 600 apples per consignment as recommended by Biosecurity Australia. This is to ensure that trash—that is, leaves and small twigs—which may carry fire blight is discovered and destroyed. APAL believes that Australia needs to have in place protocols to suspend importation of New Zealand apples if an outbreak is discovered. We need to have an emergency plan in place to deal with an outbreak of fire blight.

The federal government must consult with those in this industry, heed their warning and implement robust import protocols or be prepared to add agriculture policy to Labor's long list of failures.