Kerry O'Brien (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Primary Industries, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Abetz, the Minister representing the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. I refer the minister to a letter from the Australian Racing Board to former minister for agriculture Mr Truss dated 24 September 2004. Can the minister confirm that in this letter the board raises serious concerns about the quarantine risk of using private vets to inspect imported horses? Is it true that Mr Truss assured the Australian Racing Board that all imported horses would be under the direct control of an AQIS vet? Can the minister now confirm that, despite this assurance, a number of horses that entered Australia through Melbourne airport after January 2005 were only checked by private practitioners employed by the importer, with no supervising AQIS vets present?