Warren Entsch (Leichhardt, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia. Will the minister outline to the House how the Morrison government's landmark investment in our biosecurity systems, including in northern Australia, protects Australian agriculture and assists farmers in maintaining export market access for their produce?

David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Leichhardt for his question. He, better than anyone, understands not just the importance of our biosecurity measures in protecting our $66 billion agriculture industry but the key role that northern Australia plays at the front line of securing our borders. That's why it's important to understand that it also protects 'Brand Australia'—the clean green image that we've built up over so many years because of the biosecurity measures that we've taken. That's why it's part of our Ag2030 plan. It's one of the seven key pillars in driving Australian agriculture to $100 billion by 2030. To do that, we're also backing it with cold, hard cash—not only in this year's budget but in the budget in October.

We have now put over a billion dollars toward biosecurity measures to make sure that we're evolving as the threats evolve. As these risks sweep across the globe and are now congested in South-East Asia, we are ready. We are ready to evolve our response not only in making sure we play the role of having boots on the ground and more paws on the ground but also in embracing new technology. I've got to say that we're doing that particularly in northern Australia with our Indigenous ranger groups. There are 64 Indigenous ranger groups at the front line who are trapping pests, and looking for pests and weeds that would impose significant imposts on the Australian agriculture industry. An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease alone would cost the Australian economy $50 billion. We now have African swine fever on our doorstep, in Papua New Guinea. It is these rangers who are making sure that we are there to detect pests and disease and to eradicate them if they come to Australia. We're also training new dogs in Darwin to detect citrus canker, which nearly eradicated the nursery industry and the citrus industry in the Northern Territory and gave it a really red-hot crack in Central Queensland some years ago.

These are the new investments that we're making on the ground, but we're also investing in new technology, such as 3D X-ray technology. Every one of the 144 million parcels that go through Australia Post will now go through a 3D X-ray scanner, and, if there is organic matter or plant matter, we will find it and we will eradicate it. We're also undertaking a world first with New Zealand. When anyone leaves the shores of New Zealand, we will know what is in their bags before they hit our country. We will know whether they have declared it or not and, if there is anything in that bag that would put at risk our biosecurity, we will be able to deploy the resources to eradicate it. And, if they have not declared it, we are complementing that with new penalties—increased fines and also the cancellation of visas. We have cancelled 14 visas of those who have not declared and who put at risk our biosecurity. We have sent them back on the plane they came in on, and they are not welcome back for three years. These are the tools we are using to empower our biosecurity officers to protect Australian agriculture into the future.