Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the Biosecurity Amendment (Advanced Compliance Measures) Bill 2023 because this bill and the work our government is doing to keep Australia safe will also keep my home state of Tasmania safe. This bill supports the broader priority of strengthening biosecurity by maintaining Australia's reputation as a supplier of safe, high-quality produce while protecting our $96 billion agriculture, fisheries and forestry industries and our $5.7 trillion environmental asset. This is such an important bill for Tasmania and for those Tasmanians who work in agriculture, including our wonderful farmers, who contribute so much to our Australian way of life. They are the lifeblood of the nation, growing and producing what Australians consume every day. Tasmania produces the best natural produce in the world, which is why it is crucial we block overseas pests and dangerous flora and fauna which may bring pests and other biosecurity hazards into our country.

At this juncture, I want to acknowledge the leadership of Minister Murray Watt, the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, and the work he has done and is continuing to do to ensure that our investments are kept safe. I also want to commend his ongoing commitment to this vital sector.

The Albanese Labor government is looking to strengthen our biosecurity. Strong and sustainably funded biosecurity is essential to protecting Australia from potentially devastating pest and disease outbreaks as well as safeguarding our national economy, including our agriculture, fisheries and forestry industries; our regional communities; and our unique natural environment, which we all hold so dear. Biosecurity is also fundamental in protecting our international agriculture trade, fisheries and forestry jobs and keeps our regional, rural and remote communities strong. This applies nowhere more than in my home state of Tasmania, where at least 10,000 people work in the agriculture sector, most of them in quite rural and regional areas. They're the lifeblood of their communities. I have a saying—'farming, family and fairness'—and this is what this bill achieves. It protects the livelihood of some 10,000 Tasmanians and their families. These industries make our national economy stronger, and they give us the 13th biggest economy in the world when it comes to this sector.

I know how important Brand Tasmania is. One of the reasons it is so good is our strong agricultural industry. Another is our strong border controls and biosecurity controls. Our $96 billion agriculture, fisheries and forestry industries are deeply precious. They're worth $79.3 billion in agriculture, fisheries and forestry exports, $36.5 billion in tourism and 1.6 million jobs across the agricultural supply chain, all spread out across 87,800 farms nationwide.

We saw earlier this year that the 2023-24 budget delivers on the Albanese Labor government's election commitment to introduce a long-term, sustainable funding model for biosecurity. The Albanese government is investing more than $1 billion in new funding over the next four years and more than $260 million per year every year after that to strengthen our biosecurity system. The new funding is locked in and permanent, and we hope that those opposite and everyone else in this place will support this bill and the Albanese Labor government's plan for our agriculture industry. It's extremely important because this investment will protect and grow our agriculture, fisheries and forestry industries in a way that is fairer, more equitable and more accountable than ever before. As we heard from the contribution of the previous speaker, we know how important it is to our wine industry, and there's no better wine grown anywhere in this country than in my home state of Tasmania. So it is invaluable for us to have a biosecurity system that keeps pace with today's needs and prepares for the threats of the future. A strong, smart and sustainably funded system will help us manage growing biosecurity risks and help us safeguard Australia's industries, our export trade and our environment.

I think we could all agree in this place that efficient biosecurity operations are crucial to meet industry's needs; otherwise, it slows down trade and supply chains, adding costs to industry and consumers. Unfortunately, there are still those out there whose actions put this important industry at risk. We must take all measures as a government to protect Australia from illnesses and diseases such as fruit fly and foot-and-mouth disease. The Albanese government is 100 per cent focused on protecting our industry from those foreign pests. Instances of noncompliance are challenging the Australian government's ability to manage biosecurity risk in an environment that is becoming increasingly complicated due to an increased number of international travellers arriving in Australia and the growth and volume of complexity in Australia's global trade.

We all have a role to play to continue to connect with the regions and provide feedback in this chamber. Effective deterrents to noncompliance with Australia's biosecurity laws are particularly relevant post the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, in which noncompliance may have had a significant impact on Australia's public health and vulnerable populations. The measures in this bill will ensure that the penalties available under the Biosecurity Act are effective deterrents against these actions and enable a more proportionate response to noncompliance that puts Australia's human, plant and animal health at risk. The amendments in this bill are necessary to advance Australia's biosecurity laws to enable targeted intervention and effective and proportionate responses to behaviour that may have significant, lasting biosecurity impacts.

An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease would have an estimated direct economic impact over 10 years of around $80 billion. That would devastate the cattle industry. An outbreak of lumpy skin disease would result in an estimated market loss of $7.3 billion per annum across a range of commodities and markets. As a nation, we cannot afford this, because it would ruin livelihoods and affect our economy in such a devastating way, and it would actually destroy lives. People have been on the land for generation after generation, and we have a responsibility to keep those people on the land and to do everything we can to safeguard them. A small-scale outbreak of African swine fever in domestic pigs followed by the eradication of the disease was estimated to cost $117 million to $263 million. An incursion of Xylella fastidiosacould cost the Australian horticultural industry between $1.2 billion and $11.1 billion. We cannot afford for this disease to get into our nursery industry. It damages plants and has increased costs for disease management. Environmental impacts are also likely to be significant and long-lasting.

A strengthened biosecurity system not only secures better economic outcomes for producers and related industries but protects Australia's environment, biosecurity and people. I urge everyone in this place to put their communities and their agricultural industries first and to support our regions by supporting the Albanese Labor government's incredibly important bill to keep our industries and the jobs that they provide within our communities safe.

There are no more important jobs in Tasmania than those in forestry, farming and vineyards. We are great producers of quality food. Tasmania is known around the world for its wine, cheese, wonderful seafood and even beer. Tasmania is known around the world—and I know Acting Deputy President Chandler will agree with me—as the best producer of food, wine, clean water and great clean energy. Tasmania is the jewel in the crown of Australia when it comes to primary industries.

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has been down to Tasmania a number of times. Unfortunately, one of those times was when he had his other hat on as the Minister for Emergency Management. He has already developed a very strong working relationship with those in the primary industries, the forestry industry and the fishing industry. We know that he gets it. Finally, after almost 10 years, we have a minister for primary industries who not only gets it but actually shows real leadership. He understands, as I do, what's at stake. If we are complacent, we will lose jobs, we will devastate local economies and we will kill local communities. We have to do the best we possibly can to protect the industry.

I have seen on a program on television a couple of times people inadvertently forgetting to declare what they are bringing into the country. A pest can be brought in by someone who has no understanding of the danger they are bringing into Australia when they don't declare produce that they bring off the plane or off the ship with them. We have to do more. We have to stay ahead of the game. This is so important. As I've said countless times, nothing is more important to my Tasmanian community than biosecurity and ensuring that it is well funded. I appreciate the minister's leadership. I urge you to support this bill.