Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes:

(i) the intention of the Western Australian State Government to repeal its Genetically Modified Crops Free Areas Act 2003, which will remove the legislative framework put in place by the former Labor State Government that creates genetically modified (GM) organism free areas within Western Australia,

(ii) that this policy decision has the united support of both the state's major farming organisations, the Pastoralists and Graziers Association of Western Australia and The Western Australian Farmers Federation, and

(iii) the large scale adoption of 'Round Up Ready' canola by Western Australian farmers following its introduction by the Western Australian Liberal National State Government in 2009 10;

(b) supports the recommendations of both the 2006 statutory review of the Gene Technology Act 2000, and the 2011 Review of the Gene Technology Act 2000 [report to the Department of Health and Ageing by the Allen Consulting Group], which noted that GM crops posed no adverse impact on markets, and concluded that state bans were having detrimental, rather than beneficial impacts; and

(c) condemns the Western Australian State Labor Party's anti GM policy, including the reintroduction of a ban on cultivating GM crops if re-elected.

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The condemnation of the Western Australian Labor government in this motion demonstrates that it is purely a political stunt. If the government members were serious about the issue they would urging their PM to pursue these issues through the COAG process.

Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This motion is about supporting the right of Western Australian farmers to make their own decisions about farming practices. With one in three WA farmers having planted GM canola it is high time to remove the former Labor state government's out-of-date regulations. GM canola has been grown in WA since 2010 when the state government granted an exemption to allow commercial cultivation of GM canola. Since then WA has had the most rapid uptake of Roundup Ready canola of all states which allow biotech canola to be grown. WA's Roundup Ready canola plantings made up 74 per cent of the total 348,200 hectare GM canola crop planted in Australia last year. The shrill ideological opponents of GM have failed to provide any scientific evidence to prove that GM crops are unsafe or pose an economic risk for non-GM growers. All WA farmers are asking is for the right to make their own decisions and choices and have the same opportunity as eastern states farmers.

Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Greens will be opposing this motion. In fact, it does not reflect the will of all WA farmers. There are many WA farmers who do not want to have to grow genetically modified crops or materials. They have been contaminated with genetically modified plants, and that has affected their bottom line. Mr Marsh is a classic example of that. He did not ask to be contaminated. His economic bottom line was severely affected by contamination from genetically modified crops. We will not be supporting this motion and it is not true to say that, currently, every farmer in WA has a choice. They do not have choice when they are contaminated by genetically modified crops.

Question agreed to.