Barnaby Joyce (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I was hoping the minister might go into the effects of the importation of mealie bugs, black sigatoka, moko virus et cetera. Is the minister aware of the statement by Minister Burke on 4BC on 5 March:

Well the way the law works on this, once the process is started—and it started under Warren Truss eight years ago—then it gets handed through a scientific process and the opportunity for the Minister to intervene doesn’t come up until that process has ended.

Now the process has ended, is the minister going to intervene to stop the importation of Philippine bananas?