Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Deputy President, and congratulations on your elevation.

That was an extraordinary response from a senator who stood up and characterised the response by this government, a Labor government—I'll just say that again, because I really like to hear it: 'a Labor government'! He characterised the response by our Labor government as lacking, when the response by the minister—a very capable minister; in fact, it's been a long time since we've had a capable agricultural minister!—has been a quick response, a coordinated response, and a comprehensive response. And not only that, but we had Minister Watt in here today responding to questions directly. And, quite frankly, they were questions from senators that didn't take the issue seriously; they weren't taking the issue seriously.

This is a serious issue. It's an issue that the Albanese Labor government takes seriously. And that's why we've introduced some of the toughest biosecurity measures ever used in Australia. The minister—