Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Given the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Indonesia, what steps has the government taken to prevent the disease spreading to Australia and affecting our livestock industry?

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, can I—as it's the first time I've had the chance to do—congratulate you for your elevation to the chair, and can I thank the member for Bendigo for her question. I know many of us who represent regional and rural Australia are very exercised about this issue. This is an issue the government takes very seriously. It is why we have introduced the toughest biosecurity measures that have ever been used in Australia.

We know that FMD has been detected in over 70 countries but, of course, of immediate and pressing concern is the outbreak that is not under control in Indonesia. It's been detected in 22 of the 37 provinces. The government is taking a two-pronged approach by strengthening measures at our border but also working with our partners in the region, particularly Indonesia, to prevent an outbreak coming here to these shores. We've committed, so far, an additional $14 million in funding to strengthen Australia's prevention and preparedness for FMD and to provide immediate support to Indonesia.

In Indonesia itself, we are providing a million doses of the FMD vaccine. The government has assisted through the provision of technical support of FMD in the broader vaccination program. We also have CSIRO's Centre for Disease Preparedness working with the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture to provide laboratory support and also essential materials. We have helped the Indonesian government with signage and with biosecurity measures for outgoing Australian passengers at Denpasar airport. We're doing everything we can to support our neighbours. It is in the interests of this country that we do so and that they get this under control as quickly as possible, and we're confident that the Indonesian authorities are doing all they can.

Here in Australia, of course, we've funded additional biosecurity officers and redeployed biosecurity detector dogs to this task. We have seen the activation of biosecurity powers which have never been used before in this country. We have additional signage and distribution of flyers at major airports, deployment of sanitation mats and expanded social media campaigns, and travellers are being informed of their biosecurity responsibilities. What we know absolutely and utterly is that one of the highest risks is if people illegally import meat or dairy products. We know that we have biosecurity officers checking around certain retail outlets—at the moment, those imports have been stopped—and also checking all mail.

My message, particularly to the Australian people and particularly to those opposite, is that this is a very important task for all of us. To anyone coming in from these airports: declare, declare, declare. Absolutely make sure that you do your part to ensure that we maintain this important trade, including not jeopardising the export of this important product.