Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

I would be delighted to, Senator Ciccone. There are risks. There are severe risks to biosecurity, our agricultural industry and grocery prices as a result of these short-term funding decisions that were made for biosecurity, as they were in so many other areas.

It's no wonder, with the former government's record around short-term terminating measures for biosecurity, that the National Farmers Federation consistently called out the coalition for their failure to deliver sustainable biosecurity funding. But, of course, rather than listen to our peak farming organisation and actually deliver, the Nationals leader, David Littleproud, resorted to name-calling, labelling the NFF 'ignorant' and 'sideline critics'.

Fortunately, in the Albanese government the adults are in charge. We are working with our farmers, and we are working with our agriculture sector to fix our biosecurity system once and for all. In addition to the investments we made in our first budget, we're laying the foundations on traceability—something that was too hard for the National Party—to deliver a fit-for-purpose modern system to protect our livestock industries. (Time expired)