Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

The Export Control Legislation Amendment (Certification of Narcotic Exports) Bill 2020 is required to amend parts of the export control legislation. The bill will amend the definition of 'goods' contained within the Export Control Act 1982 and the Export Control Act 2020. The amendments will remove discrepancies in the treatment of narcotic goods with other goods that pose a similar risk to Australia's trade reputation and market access.

Markets for industrial hemp in Australia are underdeveloped by comparison to other OECD countries, especially Europe, the UK and Canada. The past 15 years have seen significant global innovation, significant levels of research into agronomy and the development of high-performance hemp products. AgriFutures has noted the potential for future growth of the industrial hemp market worldwide, stating:

There is a great opportunity for Australian growers to capitalise on growth of current and future products derived from industrial hemp with Global Market Insights predicting the market to surpass US$270 million in size globally, by 2025.

Most countries currently regulate unprocessed and semiprocessed plant products against the introduction of injurious plants, pests and diseases. Under international plant protection conventions, exporters and countries can issue phytosanitary certificates attesting to the absence of such pests and diseases on exported plant products, which is what this bill seeks to facilitate.

Since 2015, in place of phytosanitary certificates, alternative assurances have been provided for cannabis products exported to markets in Korea, the United States, Uruguay and New Zealand. Earlier this year an exporter from Queensland sought to export a commercial quantity of seed to the United States. The US Department of Agriculture indicated they would require formal phytosanitary certification from the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment for exports to be accepted. Since late 2019 exporters have expressed interest in exporting to other markets, including Thailand, Vietnam and Canada. These are all markets that require official phytosanitary certification—certification that the passage of this bill will finally allow Australian authorities to issue.

The proposed amendment will allow Australian exporters to meet the biosecurity import requirements for any market that requires a phytosanitary certificate. Countries that currently have strict import requirements including phytosanitary certificates for unprocessed plant products include China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Korea, Canada and the US. In fact, the only major markets that don't have such requirements are Hong Kong and Singapore. This bill will address the government's current inability to issue phytosanitary certificates and enable certification of a broad range of agricultural commodities, including narcotic goods within the meaning of the Customs Act 1901. The bill will ensure Australia meets its obligations under international agreements and provides assurances to trading partners that our exported agricultural goods meet their requirements. The bill provides the confidence for existing and future exporters to pursue lucrative export opportunities, particularly for those involved with new and emerging industries. Being able to access a broad range of markets creates more export opportunities and higher profits for Australian farmers, producers and export businesses. The bill will support initiatives of the government to congestion-bust in regulation and ensure the agricultural industries come out firing after the threat of COVID-19 has passed. Without the ability for government to provide this certification, Australian exporters are at a disadvantage when compared to global competitors. I commend the bill to the Senate.