Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Centre Alliance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Agriculture and Northern Territory. South Australian fruit and vegetables, including cherries, berries and apples, from my electorate that are destined for export markets need to be heat treated interstate before export. This is costly and creates time delays. I have long advocated for the need for an end-point treatment facility in South Australia to reduce the economic impact of fruit fly and spoilage. Will the minister please advise when the government will provide support for this much-needed facility in South Australia?

David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Mayo for her question and her passionate advocacy on this matter for some time. The member is correct and quite right in trying to make sure that we address this issue. It does have the potential to threaten much of our exports from South Australia and Australia. So the government is in the final determinations of the appropriateness of a facility to make sure that it fits in with our export protocols with our export partners, making sure that we understand that also we consult widely with industry and also the South Australian government. They have been very, very passionate as well about the advocacy for such a facility, considering the geographical constraints of South Australian producers from the nearest facility. So we are in that final determination, making sure that any investment where we partner either with the South Australian government or industry itself makes sense, meets those protocols, ensures that we protect the industries in South Australia and complements our national fruit fly program. That is a $16.9 million program, in fact, where we released sterile fruit fly within the electorate of Mayo to try to breed out fruit fly. So we are working consistently with states, and I can assure the member that those final determinations about that facility will be made very soon.