Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak briefly on the Gene Technology Amendment Bill. The Australian Greens have long been concerned about the role that genetically engineered organisms play in our modern agricultural system. Despite decades of research and commercialisation, doubt remains over aspects of the safety of genetically modified foods and the advertised benefits of GM crops are largely yet to be seen globally. We are also concerned about the environmental impacts that genetically modified organisms can have on the environment. Crop yields, although much touted around the world, are not dealing with global hunger and poverty and we have seen an escalation in the use of pesticides on our food, which proponents of GMO claim will reduce the use of chemicals. Certainly, the main organisations profiting from GMOs are large GMO companies.

While the Australian Greens do not oppose the amendments proposed in this bill, which are technical in nature with an emphasis on improving the clarity of the scheme, a large number of concerns about the assessment of GMOs in Australia remain including that the bulk of the information relied on for assessment is provided by the companies and industry themselves and we do not do independent analysis and testing.

The following principles have not yet been fully enshrined in legislation including an assessment of GM crops. That assessment must include careful consideration of health and environmental risks. Consumers have the right to know what is in the food they are eating—in other words, foods containing genetically modified organisms and processes should have them listed on the label so that people can make a choice. There is no doubt that globally there is a strong consumer move for GM-free, clean, green produce. It is the opinion of the Australia Greens that Australia still has a long way to go in terms of its safety assessment as it relates to GMO in agriculture or genetically engineered products or materials in products. That goes back to the fact that we are reliant largely on the information the industry itself develops.

A number of concerns have been raised in earlier inquiries, but particularly concerning are those that highlight the need to better address both GMO labelling and GMO contamination. I have spoken a lot about that in this chamber. The onus is on those who are contaminated and not on those who caused the contamination.

I recently moved a successful motion in the Senate calling on the government to investigate the creation of an insurance scheme for those growers whose crops are contaminated by GMOs. I also previously introduced a private members bill that sought to properly label GMOs. Despite these initiatives, successive governments have failed to fully grasp the challenges that GMOs present to both our environment and our health and also communities' understanding of GMOs and their desire to have clean, green produce—and to have a choice about what they are eating.

These larger issues remain part of the ongoing debate around GMOs and need to be taken into consideration during further legislative reform around GM technology. The Greens will not be opposing these particular amendments to the legislation.