Nick Xenophon (SA, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Trade, Senator Conroy. On 1 February 2011 the Australian and New Zealand delegations to the WTO jointly advised the World Trade Organisation that Australia would be in a position to issue new permits for the importation of apples from New Zealand on 17 August 2011. This announcement was well prior to the completion of the import risk analysis Australia was required to undertake. In fact it was before the Biosecurity Services Group had conducted the visit to New Zealand upon which Biosecurity Australia had purported to base its recent risk analysis. So on what basis was this agreement made and this date chosen given the import risk analysis had not been completed in February? Why shouldn't Australian apple growers and pear growers conclude that from no later than 1 February the outcome of the risk analysis had been fixed so that New Zealand apples were coming to Australia?