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

Mr Deputy President, you frightened the living daylights out of me! I thought: 'What the hell have I done this time? I'm on my best behaviour on this one. I'm not my normal self.' So thank you, Mr Deputy President. I cannot remember where I was at—it would have been good, but!

I was talking about what we are putting in our mouths. I digress a little bit, but is important for all those out there. We can have the best biosecurity system in the world—and we should; there is absolutely no doubt about that; we should never skimp on biosecurity—but we should also understand that, if we want to have the best biosecurity systems, we need to fund them. We need to have agreement in this house and in the other place. But we also have to support our farmers. The best biosecurity thing we could do is support our farmers, our horticultural industry, our fishing industry. We should also be able to expect and demand and receive the greatest opportunity, when we pick up a food product, to know, through whatever is on the label—none of this nonsense about imported goods but it is put together in Australia or whatever the rubbish is—whether we are actually supporting Australian industry, Australian jobs, Australian farmers, Australian fishermen and Australian horticulturalists.

Biosecurity is one very important issue, but unfortunately in this nation we have a real mismatch and we are at the behest of monsters like—in my opinion; not in anyone else's opinion—the Australian Food and Grocery Council. Every time we talk about food labelling, my goodness don't they bolt! What have they got to fear?

In wrapping up: we are calling on Minister Joyce to have a look at our request for the Inspector-General of Biosecurity. Give us a good reason why we cannot have that. It would be foolish to take away another avenue or two of the level of biosecurity we need. And to have the department not even able to tell us that the regulations will definitely contain the clause that will keep the Eminent Scientists Group—it smacks of something absolutely ridiculous. I call on the minister. It is not too late, Minister, to pick up the Labor Party's amendments and take them forward. Let us keep biosecurity foremost as one of the most important issues in this country, not only for food consumers but for our industries and for all those rural communities who are out there—we do not see them in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth—working their guts out, day in and day out, to feed all of Australia.