Sharman Stone (Murray, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to present another 2,000 signatures on petitions which condemn this government's actions in relation to fire blight. It is a serious problem. These signatures are from older people, younger people and farmers—people who work in industry in the greater Goulburn and northern Victorian areas. I have to say this is a most extraordinary situation. Miraculously, we do not have the disease fire blight in Australia. New Zealand has had it for over a century now. We know that strong protocols are the only barrier to us getting this disease, decimating the pear and apple crops. Indeed, there is also a midge mite and a European canker involved.

Our area has the world's best climate for fire blight getting established and spreading, so these petitioners are begging this government to rethink their weak protocol—the weakest that has ever been put in place—to fight any sort of pest or plant disease coming to this country. It is a dreadful precedent. What is going to happen next? Are the Filipinos allowed to decide what to do with their bananas before they come in? This is an abrogation of the nation's biosecurity responsibility. This disease, once in, is incurable and it will decimate not just my northern Victorian industry but growers throughout Australia. I beg this government to think again. The New Zealanders might have been promised by the Prime Minister that the job would be easy. That is not an appropriate national response.

The petition read as follows—

To the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives:

This petition from certain citizens of Australia draws to the attention of the House:

from 2,132 citizens.

Petition received.