David Feeney (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—The government opposes Senator Colbeck’s motion on the basis that the motion is factually incorrect. The Asian Honey Bee National Management Group has found that eradication of the Asian honey bee is no longer technically feasible. Responsibility for the eradication or management of pests is not solely a federal responsibility, but rather a shared responsibility with the state and territory governments and the industries that benefit from any management actions. A cooperative approach between the states and territories, Commonwealth government and impacted industries is the only way to effectively manage this pest. The government is working collaboratively with state and territory governments and the Australian honey industry and with industries reliant on pollination to develop, coordinate and implement a strategy to manage the Asian honey bee.