Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources. Will the Deputy Prime Minister update the House on the coalition government's commitment to strong border security policies, including our biosecurity policies, how are Pistol and Boo, and what are the consequences of adopting alternative approaches?

Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question. Obviously, being in an area where he has cattle himself and in a horticultural area, he is very aware of the requirements of biosecurity. It was very important that, on this side becoming the government, we had to refurbish the department with the money required to run biosecurity, because the Labor Party, the Greens and the Independents had decimated the budget. They had more than halved the agriculture department's budget. We had to find close to $200 million to put into the biosecurity section to give ourselves those stronger borders which are so vitally important.

It is vitally important because, as we know, if a disease such as foot-and-mouth were to come in, not only would it close down the cattle industry, the sheep and wool industry, the goat industry and pig industry; it would also put out of work the meat workers and transport union workers; it would be absolutely devastating to shearers; it would be cataclysmic in regional areas and it would reverberate through the cities as well.

It is not just foot-and-mouth. It is also screw flies, exotic wheat stem disease and rabies. We are trying to make sure that we keep these diseases out of our nation. The way we keep them out of our nation, of course, is to have a proper vetting process at the border. Unfortunately, at times some people decide to go around that vetting process and make their own arrangements. In the past this nation has had the experience of people literally arriving at the beaches. South of where the member for Page resides, they arrived at Scotts Head—literally walking off the boat and walking down the street. We had them arriving at Geraldton, where they basically walked onto the beach. They arrived at Bamaga dressed in suits and asked if they could catch a taxi to Sydney.

This was the bizarre position which Australia was placed in, and we had to do something about it. That is why we are asking for stronger border security. When we have stronger borders we have the capacity to be compassionate, like we will see tonight on Australian Story, where we welcomed refugees from Rwanda into my electorate in New England.

But we have test for the Labor Party. Are the Labor Party going to stand by the commitment that they gave to the Australian people at the last election that they were working on a unity ticket with us in such a way that we will have strong borders? Because when people come in in illegally, not only do they come in illegally but the diseases come in with them. We have to do something about that. If we want that ambiguity removed, if we want to be decisive, if we want to see strong leadership, if we want to see in the proper sense that the person that Mr Shorten, the member for Maribyrnong, was before the election is still the same person after the election, then he has that chance. Rather than looking at the clock, you should look at your ticker.