Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am very pleased to speak on the Biosecurity Amendment (Ballast Water and Other Measures) Bill. Beautiful Moreton Bay is an important part of the electorate of Petrie, a haven for boaties, a playground for kite surfers, sailboarders, jetskiers, snorkellers and tourists. I would suggest Moreton Bay is one of the reasons Redcliffe has just been named as one of the top five movers and shakers when it comes to Easter tourism in Queensland. Off the coast lies Moreton Island and the iconic Tangalooma Wrecks—15 boats sunk in the 1960s to form a breakwall for small boats, in response to calls for a safe anchorage. The wrecks have become a popular dive spot and play host to wobbegongs, kingfish, lion fish and trevally, and the surrounding turquoise waters are a popular tourist attraction. The tops were recently cut off the wrecks as a safety precaution, but there is a groundswell of support for re-wrecking the wrecks, and a campaign—More Wrecks for Moreton—to sink more boats at the site has been started on Facebook. The Redcliffe Surf Life Saving Club is tucked into the northern corner of Suttons Beach. A local favourite and destination for weekend visitors, it is about to be filled to capacity for the annual Festival of Sails event over Easter.

I am definitely biased in believing the waters of Moreton Bay are pretty special, but I know I am not alone in having a soft spot for the area. As much as the bay is about beauty and tourism, it also provides a living for many. The Moreton Bay region comprises only three per cent of Queensland's coastline, yet it produces around 15 per cent of the state's commercial catch, including prawns. Australia's prawn industry produces approximately 25,000 tonnes per year, with an estimated value of $358 million. When white spot disease was first detected in prawn farms on the Logan River, south of Brisbane, teams on prawn trawlers in my electorate all held their breath. Unfortunately their worst fears were confirmed just last month, when the virus that causes white spot disease was found in prawns collected from the northern waters of Moreton Bay. A movement control order for the Moreton Bay region is currently in effect and will be in place for three months to allow containment of any potential spread of the virus as well as further testing and determination with regard to future action.

I welcome the concern and action of this government and particularly the Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, Barnaby Joyce. Upon discovery of the virus I know that both his department and the state authorities began working around the clock to contain and eradicate the disease and to save our valuable prawn-farming industry, because we have one of the best industries in the world and we must maintain that. The coalition government is providing rapid response funding, bolstered by the coalition's Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper, to assist with response costs and future preparedness activities. I am assured all indications are that white spot disease is eradicable. To that end, and in addition to the provision of rapid response funding, a range of emergency response and incident management activities are being undertaken, including destruction and decontamination of affected areas; bird mitigation; monitoring of waterways; community engagement and awareness; surveillance and sampling; and scientific and technical advice. All of these measures are vital, as is the bill that we are here to discuss.

The Biosecurity Amendment (Ballast Water and Other Measures) Bill 2017 will enhance biosecurity powers and further protect Australia's $60 billion agricultural industries, including fishing in my local region and the beautiful Moreton Bay. I might add that our agricultural exports are up significantly over the last 12 months, many thanks to our free trade agreements and other measures for jobs and growth that the coalition has implemented. The bill will provide additional powers to control disease carriers at Australia's airports and seaports, including on incoming aircraft and vessels that move through Moreton Bay and on to Fisherman Island to dock. I see the member for Bonner is in the chair, and he would know this area very well, having Moreton Island in his electorate.

The bill will also provide additional protection for coastal environments from the risk of marine pest incursions. As we have seen with the impact of white spot, threats to biosecurity can take hold quickly. But it is not just the threats to fishing relating to the issue of ballast water that highlight the importance of this bill. The recent global outbreak of Zika virus, which is spread by mosquitoes, has shown us how important control of disease-carrying pests is. It may not be particularly pleasant, but spraying insecticide on incoming aircraft and vessels to kill mosquitoes capable of carrying the Zika virus, among other things, is key to ensuring they do not establish populations in Australia and put the Australian community at risk.

Ballast water is a threat to Australia's biosecurity because any number of plants and animals that live in the ocean may be picked up from the point of departure before being deposited in other regions and offshore in my electorate in the beautiful Moreton Bay. Tightening management of ballast water in ships provides important protection for our fisheries and coastal environments.

Biosecurity plays a critical role in reducing risks and protecting our nation so that it remains one of the few countries in the world that are free from many of the world's most severe pests and diseases. We are fortunate in Australia and we want to protect this position. The bill will complement our current suite of biosecurity legislation to protect our vital agricultural industries and the capacity for our nation to continue producing and exporting the highest quality, clean and sustainably produced agricultural goods to the world.

Importantly, the bill will prepare Australia to be fully legislatively compliant with the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments when it comes into force internationally later this year on 8 September. Of course we should have our own domestically generated layers of protection, and these should be as tight as required. We do not make any apologies at times when imports from other countries need to be stopped due to biosecurity hazards. We make no apologies for that.

The convention recognises that invasive aquatic species present a major threat to marine ecosystems, with shipping identified as a major pathway for introducing risk to new environments. The problem has increased in recent years, along with trade and traffic volume, and in particular with the introduction of steel hulls, allowing vessels to use water instead of solid materials as ballast.

The effects of the introduction of new species have been devastating in many areas of the world. As I said a moment ago, in my own electorate we see white spot temporarily putting the brakes on the trade of prawns. I know that some prawn producers in my electorate have been quite significantly impacted because locals are not eating the local prawns, despite the fact that consumption will not actually hurt humans.

According to the International Maritime Organization, bio-invasions are continuing to increase at an alarming rate and, as the volume of seaborne trade continues to increase, the problem may be yet to reach its peak. However, the ballast water management convention that was adopted in 2004, entering into force in September, aims to address this, preventing the spread of harmful aquatic organisms from one region to another. It seeks to do this by establishing standards and procedures for the management and control of ships' ballast water and sediments. It requires ships to exchange ballast water as far from the nearest land as possible and it sets limits—for example, 200 nautical miles from land—depending on a ships' usual route. In order to comply with the convention, Australia must ensure that ships whose normal voyage goes beyond the 200-nautical-mile zone conduct their ballast water exchange outside that 200-nautical-mile zone. To do that Australia requires jurisdiction out to the exclusive economic zone.

Ratifying the convention gives our nation greater powers to regulate foreign vessels consistent with Australian vessels operating between our own domestic ports. It enables Australia to phase out the acceptance of less effective ballast water exchange in favour of the more effective onboard treatment systems. Having onboard treatment systems on more vessels and regulating ballast water on ships between Australian ports will improve our ability to control a critical pathway that can lead to the spread of aquatic pests and diseases.

Ratifying the ballast water convention is vital for an internationally consistent approach to managing ballast water on vessels. The convention is an important global initiative involving over 50 countries that together represent more than 53 per cent of the world's merchant fleet shipping tonnage. As a nation we signed the ballast water convention in 2005, having played an important role in its development, and thereby agreeing to develop arrangements for its implementation here in Australia. I welcome the opportunity ratifying the convention presents for protecting our sovereignty and industry and ensuring the continuance of relative isolation from the scourge of pests and disease.

Protecting our ocean environment is of immense importance to me personally. As a diver I am proud of our government's investment in our waterways and of course in the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, where the federal coalition government has spent millions of dollars since being elected. It is important for Queensland, for residents and businesses in the Moreton Bay region and for the electorate of Petrie more broadly from both a recreational and a commercial perspective. I will give you an indication of its value.

According to the most recent research that I could put my hands on, in 2005 the Moreton Bay fishing industry in my electorate produced around $13 million worth of seafood. Half of that was produced by trawlers. More recent estimates of catch suggest the value of commercial fishing has increased to between $24 million and $30 million per annum, and it may well be much higher. More than two-thirds of the value of catch caught by the trawl fleet was derived from prawn species, hence the impact of white spot recently.

There are well over 200 vessels active in the Morton Bay fishing zone alone. I was out on one of those vessels during Christmas 2015. I went out on TheMarvin, a local prawn trawler, and they certainly worked hard, our local commercial fishermen. Every two hours they set the nets, sorted the catch and rechecked them. It was, pretty well, from six at night until six in the morning. Our commercial fishermen should be recognised for the valued role they play. Whilst I am a recreational fisherman, not everyone likes to fish recreationally, and people want to buy their seafood from somewhere like Morgans or Seafood Town or other local seafood retailers in my electorate.

All levels of government, at the federal level through this bill and at the Queensland state government level, should be supporting our commercial fishermen. The capital they have invested in their fleets—in boats, associated fishing gear and onshore facilities—is estimated to be around $77 million, $65 million of which is capital invested in vessels alone.

The success of our fishing industry is a combination of the dedication and talent of those who work hard, as I described a moment ago, and the fact that Australian seafood is the best and the envy of the world. You would not go to a country anywhere, let alone in Asia, that would not want to buy our local seafood. Our pristine waters give life to countless species and a livelihood to a thriving, responsible fishing community. Whether cutting a living, catching a feed or simply soaking up the beauty of our surrounds, Australians have an affinity with the sea.

I congratulate the coalition government for working to protect something I hope we can all continue to enjoy, to benefit from and, ultimately, to take for granted. If we succeed on that last point, it means as a government we have done our job well.

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