Raff Ciccone (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Watt. Minister, we know that low wages was a deliberate design feature of the previous Liberal government's economic architecture. It turns out that funding cliffs were also a design feature of the previous government. Minister, could you please explain to the Senate why it is so important to provide long-term funding certainty for essential biosecurity services, and how this protects our $76 billion agricultural export trade?

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

Thank you very much, Senator Ciccone. You would think that it goes without saying that providing funding certainty for essential government functions like biosecurity is a core government responsibility. You would think that, and, certainly, the Albanese government gets it. We understand that you need to protect the Australian agriculture industry from biosecurity threats that could wipe out our production and exports and drive up grocery costs for Australians. We understand that because we're a responsible government.

Biosecurity is critical for the future of the regions and our $76 billion agricultural export trade. Strong biosecurity means our farmers can get their produce into overseas markets, building economic resilience and creating tens of thousands of jobs in our regions. In our first budget, the Albanese government invested $134 million in new biosecurity measures like extra frontline staff, 20 new detector dogs and stronger defences against foot-and-mouth disease and other emerging threats.

Unfortunately, as we keep hearing, the Albanese government also inherited a series of budget booby traps left by a government that was all announcement and no delivery. There was short-term funding in emergency management, health, the arts, communications, national security and now biosecurity. The Liberals and Nationals were addicted to announcing programs that they didn't get around to funding.

As we keep hearing, their record of providing short-term funding for essential services like biosecurity was appalling. Because of the member for Maranoa's incompetence, and Senator McKenzie's before him, biosecurity funding falls off a cliff over the next two years. In fact, it falls by 20 per cent on 30 June this year, and another 25 per cent on 30 June next year. That's right. The funding engineered by Senator McKenzie and Mr Littleproud falls off a cliff by more than 40 per cent in two years. We are cleaning up the mess made by the Liberals and Nationals in biosecurity because that is what good governments do. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Ciccone, first supplementary?

Raff Ciccone (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Minister, for that answer. It's quite shocking to learn about that development. We know that strong biosecurity is good for Aussie farmers, important for food security and essential for trade. Minister, could you please outline to the Senate the risks to regional Australia of making short-term funding decisions for essential biosecurity services?

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

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Ciccone, second supplementary?

Raff Ciccone (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you for that answer, Minister. Funding for biosecurity, it's fair to say, was left in a complete mess by the former Liberal-National government—a complete mess. What happens when governments don't plan for the future by making long-term investments in essential biosecurity? I'd appreciate your thoughts on that, Minister.

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

Thank you, Senator Ciccone, and of course we did begin the job of fixing up this mess in our October budget, but it is so big that it's going to take even longer.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

We know that the Liberals and Nationals announced programs but didn't even fund them, even on issues important to their own constituencies.

Opposition senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister Watt, please resume your seat.

Opposition senators interjecting—

Order on my left. Minister Watt, please continue.

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

Thank you, Madam President. The Liberals and Nationals announced programs, but didn't even fund them, even on issues important to their own constituencies, like biosecurity. And when you don't make long-term biosecurity investments, you leave Australia's farmers and our agriculture industry at risk.

Now, I was very concerned when I read an article this week, or in the last few days, by ABC reporter Kath Sullivan. It reported that Australia's sniffer dogs haven't been sniffing for queen bees and were not on the beat when the deadly varroa mite arrived last year. Why would that be? If you go on reading the article, it says for several years the then government had stopped training sniffer dogs to detect queen bees that might carry the varroa mite. That is the legacy of the coalition government. That is the risk they were prepared to take with biosecurity, and we have to fix this up because of these terminating measures. (Time expired)

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I regrettably ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.