Scott Buchholz (Wright, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The sum of $80 billion is about to be cut from the agricultural sector if we don't move quickly on addressing the real and true threat that sits right on our doorstep at the moment in the way of foot-and-mouth disease. Foot-and-mouth disease is a debilitating disease within the cattle sector. It's frightening local growers. Every grazier in Australia who has cattle is petrified at the moment. You're petrified if you are a grower, if you're a grazier, if you have selling yards, if you're a business that relies on the primary industry whose singular source of revenue is cattle. When we do the numbers, when those businesses collapse, the flow-on effect through the economy is absolutely catastrophic. We hear the word 'catastrophic' in weather reports and hyperbolic media reports. We hear it far more often than we should. But the true definition of 'catastrophe' will be if foot-and-mouth disease gets into this country.

I have four sets of selling yards in my electorate of Wright, which is in Queensland on the Gold Coast Hinterland: Beaudesert Saleyards, Silverdale Saleyards at Harrisville, Moreton Saleyards and Laidley Saleyards. And just outside my electorate we have Toogoolawah. Combined, they probably process around 10,000 head of cattle a week, just in the south-east corner. Close to those saleyards there are two meatworks: JBS Swift at Dinmore and the Teys Beenleigh site, owned by a private family in conjunction with Cargill. The flow-on effect would be that employment in those two places would collapse. We have the Stanbroke Grantham meatworks in my electorate as well.

Yesterday we received a presentation from the first vet, from the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and from the Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. They shared with us the risk weighting. There would have been 100 people from both sides of the House listening to the officials on what the government is doing in trying to prevent this terrible, terrible disease.

Before I go on, I just want to share with you why they're worried about foot-and-mouth disease. It's because foot-and-mouth disease is a debilitating disease where cattle get ulcers on their tongues and lips. These ulcers are extremely painful, and the cattle get the same symptoms on their feet. The ulcers prevent the cattle from eating. The beast's tongue swells, and it just stands there and drools, without taking any steps. It's so painful, so they just stand there and die in the paddock. It's a terribly infectious disease. It's spread by meat processors. It spreads by soil samples or by the touch of a hand. There are other diseases which we are equally worried about—or even more so in the case of lumpy skin disease, an airborne disease which is prevalent up there at the moment and which has a higher risk rating. But we can vaccinate against lumpy skin disease. It is foot-and-mouth disease which is going to be so debilitating.

I want to acknowledge the National Party. In particular, I acknowledge David Littleproud, the member for Maranoa, for the work that he did in calling for footbaths for people coming back from Indonesia. When we went to the presentation last night, we saw the spread—the islands and provinces that are affected in Indonesia. We're seeing it spread from the left of Indonesia to the right, and the concern is that it will go through the islands. The greatest threat that we have is not only that it may come back from Bali into any of our international airports here in Australia. More catastrophically, it may travel over into New Guinea and then come down into North Queensland through those islands, through islander traditions where they carry livestock in small vessels. David Littleproud, the member for Maranoa, was front and centre, calling for immediate footbaths. Whether or not we got there in time is something that time will tell. But I also want to acknowledge and thank—because this is a situation that needs to be bipartisan—the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Watt, for convening the meeting yesterday. This is an all-of-government— (Time expired)