Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I present the Hansard record of proceedings and documents presented to the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee at the committee’s hearing into beef imports and I seek leave to move that the Senate takes note of the documents.

Leave granted.

I move:

That the Senate takes note of the documents.

The Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee held an inquiry here in Canberra back in May—I think about 17 May—in relation to beef imports into Australia and there were some 14 submissions. The committee is a wonderful bipartisan committee. It is chaired currently by my good self, but under the last government it was chaired by Senator Heffernan. Mr Deputy President, I have witnessed quite a few committees in the period that you and I have been here and I have to say that this is one committee that does not play the stupid game of politics and does not spend its entire time sniping at each other. It is one committee that has only one interest, and that is the best interests of Australia, predominantly in the transport, agricultural and regional development areas.

We had concerns over beef imports and the quality of Australia's biosecurity. We do not have an issue with Australia's biosecurity, but we have to make sure that it is maintained to its greatest level. Therefore, we put terms of reference through the Senate for our committee to inquiry into and report on the possible imminent importation of beef products from countries whose cattle herds have bovine spongiform encephalopathy, BSE, or foot-and-mouth disease, FMD. We looked at the processes undertaken by Australian government agencies in determining risks to consumers and industry and the adequacy of such processes. We looked at the lessons to be learnt from the recent contamination of the beef supply chain with horse meat throughout Europe and its implications for Australian consumers and industry. We looked at the likely implications of allowing imports of beef from BSE and foot-and-mouth disease countries on Australia's international reputation and standing as the world's safest exporter of beef. We also looked at the adequacy of Australian food-labelling laws to ensure that Australian consumers can make a fully informed choice on Australian meat products.

I would like to acknowledge fellow committee members. We have a good collection of members: Senator Gallacher; Senator Thorp, at the time; Senator Nash; Senator Edwards; Senator Siewert; Senator Back; Senator Xenophon; Senator Colbeck; Senator McKenzie; and now we welcome Senator Lines as an official RRAT—well done, Senator Lines. I would like to take the opportunity to thank those interested parties—as I said, there were some 14 submissions, if my memory serves me right—who made the effort to not only put in a submission but to also come to Canberra to present the cases to the committee.

Some might think there are some wonderful names there—foot-and-mouth and BSE—but I want to take this opportunity, if I may, to share some information from the committee around problems, should these diseases get into Australia. If you would just bear with me, Mr Deputy President, I will find it—in all the excitement I packed up thinking it was time to go.