Senator Back, Ludwig and Milne to move on Wednesday, 23 March 2011:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes that:

(i)

2011 marks the 250th anniversary of veterinary education with the establishment of the first veterinary school in Lyon, France, in 1761, and

(ii)

around the world, 2011 is being designated World Veterinary Year to honour the contribution and achievements of the veterinary profession in the community to animal health and production, public health, animal welfare, food safety and bio-security;

(b)

recognises that:

(i)

in Australia, 2011 marks the 120th anniversary of the first class of graduates from the inaugurated Melbourne Veterinary College,

(ii)

seven schools of veterinary medicine are now established in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia,

(iii)

veterinarians are dedicated to preserving the bond between humans and animals by practising and promoting the highest standards of science-based, ethical animal welfare with all animals, large and small,

(iv)

veterinarians are on the front line in maintaining Australia’s status as being free from exotic diseases that threaten the environment and human and animal health, and that veterinarians provide extensive pro bono services annually through the ethical treatment of unowned animals and wildlife,

(v)

veterinarians are vital to ensuring the high quality of Australia’s commercial herds and flocks and the security of our food  supply,

(vi)

veterinarians provide a valuable public health service through preventative medicine, control of zoonotic disease and scientific research, and

(vii)

significant contributions and achievements have been made by many individual members of the Australian veterinary profession, including:

(a)

Nobel Prize winner and Australian of the Year, Dr Peter C Doherty, who achieved major breakthroughs in the field of immunology which were vital in understanding the body’s rejection of incompatible tissues in transplantation and in fighting meningitis viruses,

(b)

Professor Mary Barton, a leading veterinary bacteriologist with a distinguished career in government and in veterinary public health, who has a strong research background in bacterial infections of animals and in antibiotic resistance in animal and human health; and

(c)

Dr Reg Pascoe, a renowned equine surgeon and dermatologist, and a leader in his profession for more than 50 years, who, while running a busy practice in Oakey, published 70 research papers and many texts while earning a doctorate, and has also dedicated years to the National Veterinary Examination and the Veterinary Surgeons’ Board of Queensland, and

(c)

further recognises:

(i)

that 2011 is World Veterinary Year,

(ii)

the valuable and diverse roles veterinarians perform in the Australian community, and

(iii)

the veterinary profession as it celebrates the past and continuing contribution by veterinarians. 

       Senator Colbeck to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes that:

(i)

the incursion of Apis cerana, the Asian honey bee, was discovered in May 2007 near Cairns, Queensland,

(ii)

the Asian honey bee has the capacity to wipe out the wild population of the European honey bee in Australia, putting at risk:

(a)

$4 billion worth of agricultural produce pollinated by the European honey bee, as the Asian honey bee is incapable of domestication, leaving Australian agriculture reliant on incidental pollination, and

(b)

the $80 million Australian honey industry,

(iii)

the Asian honey bee:

(a)

is a carrier of the varroa mite, another major threat to the European honey bee population and honey industry in Australia,

(b)

has the potential to become a pest as virulent and damaging to the Australian environment as the rabbit, cane toad and European wasp, and

(c)

poses a major threat to biodiversity through negative impacts on native flora and fauna, and

(iv)

the incursion of the Asian honey bee remains contained in a radius of approximately 50 to 55km of Cairns; and

(b)

calls on the Government to develop, coordinate and implement a program to eradicate the Asian honey bee from Australia.

       Senator Johnston to move on the next day of sitting:

(1)

That the following matter be referred to the Committee of Privileges for inquiry and report:

The adequacy and appropriateness of current guidance and advice available to officers giving evidence to Senate committees and when providing information to the Senate and to senators, including:

(a)

the adequacy and applicability of government guidelines and instructions;

(b)

the procedural and legal protections afforded to those officers;

(c)

the awareness among agencies and officers of the extent of the Senate’s power to require the production of information and documents; and

(d)

the awareness among agencies and officers of the nature of relevant advice and protections.