Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Hansard source

It is done at a state level because that is where it is appropriately done. That is not possible at a federal level, as proposed, due to our WTO obligations. However, our system does already allow for a precautionary process—for example, if the science is not conclusive on an import risk assessment, we can apply provisional conditions until the science is settled. So, as I indicated earlier, through our import risk assessment process there is capacity to apply that principle. Where the science is not conclusive, we can apply provisional conditions until the science is settled. It can occur at a state level, and that is where it is appropriate for it to occur within the Australian context.