Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Siewert, I think that in your reference to the guidelines you are referring to recommendation 9.3 of the review which recommends:

... the IGA be amended to provide capacity for the Commonwealth to declare a thing to be a GMO by regulation for a limited period in an emergency. This would be notified to—

the ministerial council—

in the first instance. It is recommended—

in the review, that the ministerial council—

must agree to the Regulations—

to the regulations, not the bill—

before they are submitted to the Executive Council for renewal.

So declaring by regulation a thing to be a GMO is an existing provision at the moment.