David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. How many veterinarians, promised by the Australian government on 29 June to help Indonesia control foot-and-mouth disease, are currently deployed in Indonesia?

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks very much for the question. Can I say to the member that this is a partnership with the Indonesian government. It is in our interests that the Indonesian government succeed when it comes to foot-and-mouth disease. I know that you will join with me in saying that we are very grateful for the enormous efforts that everybody is making in keeping foot-and-mouth disease out of Australia. The travelling public coming back from Bali, in particular, are making sure that they are keeping this country safe.

The efforts that we are making in partnership with the Indonesian government include, as I said yesterday, the provision of one million vaccines, which arrived in country on 21 August, and the procurement of three million additional doses. We know that over two million vaccines have already been administered in Indonesia. We are providing $500,000 to support biosecurity for Indonesian feedlots; personnel, including veterinarians; refrigeration logistics to help get out the vaccines in Indonesia; technical and epidemiological advice; and foot mats at Denpasar Airport. Instead of trying to score political points and trying to actually do that—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Oh, you just did that to me, did you? I thought there was an objection to men doing that. What was that?

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister will just park her horses for a moment.

David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A point of order on relevance: the question was very tight. It was around the number of veterinarians that are deployed in Indonesia at the moment. That was a very tight question. She has not been specific to the question.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Minister for Climate Change and Energy is not helping. I call the minister on the point of order. The question was specific about veterinarians. She is halfway through her answer. I'd ask her to return to that part of the question.

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I said, it is a partnership with the Indonesian government to make sure that we keep foot-and-mouth disease out of this country, something that I'd think the shadow minister would be interested in. Rather than criticising the Indonesian government and trying to score political points about how many numbers are where and what you want to do, how about you work in partnership with us—instead of doing what you did do when you held the agricultural portfolio, which was to be briefed about the threat of foot-and-mouth disease, put a tweet out about it and then do absolutely nothing.