Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Agriculture. I refer the minister to the government's decision to amend the former Labor government's biosecurity reform bill to effectively abolish the position of Inspector-General of Biosecurity as we know it by removing his tenure and independence and many of his powers. Why did the government reduce the independent oversight of biosecurity and call it red-tape reduction?

Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question. I am not quite sure about 'effectively remove', but we still have an inspector-general. We will continue to have one. His name is Bond—it is not James Bond; it is Michael Bond. He is still there. I checked his health this morning. He is happy, smiling and continuing on with his job.