Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

The government, as Senator Siewert knows, does not support this proposed amendment. A broad, general obligation on the community with potentially higher penalty levels is problematic to administer. In relation to an additional provision on biosecurity industry participants, an offence on biosecurity industry participants—clause 428 of the bill—makes it an offence for a biosecurity industry participant to fail to carry out biosecurity activities in accordance with their approved arrangement. The primary outcome of these agreements is to manage biosecurity risk, so the government believes that the amendment is not necessary. The bill, through division 8 of part 1 of chapter 3 and clause 431, also imposes obligations on persons in charge of goods and biosecurity industry participants to report biosecurity incidents, with penalties for non-compliance.

Question negatived.