Kerry O'Brien (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Primary Industries, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Abetz, the Minister representing the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. I refer the minister to information supplied to the Senate last night about quarantine arrangements at Eastern Creek quarantine facility. Can the minister confirm that so-called additional security and quarantine measures were implemented after 24 August when equine influenza was detected at that facility? Can the minister confirm that these measures include:

… a requirement for all persons entering the force quarantine area to undertake disinfection of their footwear ... to shower on arrival at the station, to shower when leaving and to wear AQIS supplied protective clothing at all times while in the station.

Given that the facility was supposed to be a secure quarantine area before 24 August, can the minister explain why these requirements were not followed before the disease outbreak? Given the overwhelming probability that the outbreak was initiated at Eastern Creek, couldn’t the spread of equine influenza have been prevented if these basic measures had been followed prior to 24 August?

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Industry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What about the inquiry?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think, for once, Senator Carr made a worthwhile interjection. He is absolutely right. This Senate today—

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

But you don’t do inquiries; you govern.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before the arrogant Leader of the Opposition in the Senate gets too whipped up, his own party supported this and there was unanimity around this chamber. Nobody opposed it, other than, it seems, the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, and if he had been in here he would have opposed it. The reality is, it got through this Senate on the voices. The reason it got through is that it made such good common sense. Rather than Senator O’Brien trying to play Inspector Clouseau, rather having a bumbling inspector going around, we thought a High Court judge of the experience of Ian Callinan QC would be the sort of person whom we would want to inquire into all the aspects surrounding the outbreak of equine influenza. If Senator O’Brien thinks he can make cheap political comment about this, can I tell him that the $3.6 billion industry that surrounds the 10,000 commercial horses in this country and all the people who gain their livelihoods from the horse industry—

Kerry O'Brien (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Primary Industries, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They want to know the answer to my question.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They do want to know the answer, but they do not want to hear the answers in a political climate such as Senator O’Brien is trying to whip up. What they want is a rigorous, robust inquiry as will be conducted by Mr Callinan. Therefore, whether certain procedures were or were not followed at Eastern Creek is not something on which I am going to speculate. That is something for Mr Callinan to determine and for him to make commentary on. I leave it at that. This is a serious matter. Believe it or not, the Senate unanimously agreed to this inquiry just a matter of a few hours ago. What I suggest to all honourable senators, especially Senator O’Brien, as he is so interested in showers, is that people should take a cold shower, take a deep breath and allow Mr Callinan to do his work.

Robert Ray (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Robert Ray interjecting—

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is very offensive, Robert Ray. You are a grub.

Robert Ray (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

So are you.

Alan Ferguson (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Abetz, I did not hear what Senator Ray said, but I did hear what you said and you must withdraw.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You heard what I said and I withdraw unequivocally. If Senator Ray is decent, he will come round to my office, we will have a cup of coffee and get rid of that.

Robert Ray (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Abetz, I withdraw.

Kerry O'Brien (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Primary Industries, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask a supplementary question, Mr President.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Alan Ferguson (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Sit down, Senator O’Brien. We are not going to continue with Senator O’Brien’s supplementary question unless the chamber maintains order.

Kerry O'Brien (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Primary Industries, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I remind the minister that my question went to the actions or inaction of the government prior to the outbreak, and I suggest that even this government can answer questions about what it did or did not do without an inquiry telling it what it did or did not do. Can the minister guarantee that the absence of these basic precautions like wearing protective clothing and disinfecting footwear did not facilitate the spread of equine influenza from the Eastern Creek facility? Why did it take this devastating equine influenza outbreak for the government to put these very basic arrangements in place at what is supposed to be a secure quarantining facility?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Once again, Senator O’Brien is asking me to speculate on the matters surrounding this unfortunate outbreak. I do not think it serves the benefits of the industry in any shape or form for Senator O’Brien to make assertions or for me to seek to answer them. That is why we have Mr Callinan inquiring into all the matters surrounding this.

Nick Sherry (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Banking and Financial Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

An inquiry.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, an inquiry that has the backing of the unanimous support of this chamber. Of course, Senator Sherry was absent as well, so he would not know the basis of this. Senator Sherry and Senator O’Brien ought to get together and work out with Senator Evans what the opposition’s stance is on this. I thought they had gone out to the industry saying that they supported this inquiry. There are no ifs and buts with us. We support the inquiry. We initiated it. We want all the details to come out. We do not want the result of a blundering ‘Inspector’ O’Brien undertaking an inquiry. We want the result of professional people such as Mr Callinan undertaking the task on behalf of all Australians.