Colin Boyce (Flynn, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. How many Indonesians have now been trained to protect Australia from the dangerous cattle disease, lumpy skin, as promised by the government on 9 August?

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

Thank you very much for your question and for raising this. I think it's the first time we've actually been asked a question about lumpy skin disease, which, of course, is another biosecurity threat to our agricultural sector.

I am pleased, as I know the other members of this House will be, that we remain LSD free. And long may it that stay in that way, because an outbreak of lumpy skin disease or foot-and-mouth disease in Australia would have a devastating impact on our economy. I know that the government and the minister are supporting Australia's livestock industry and responding in a calm and methodical way. We've been doing that both with foot-and-mouth disease and lumpy skin disease, and all the way along will be continuing to make sure that our biosecurity is strengthened. We're taking, again, a three-pronged approach to these, strengthening measures at the border and working with our partners in the region—particularly in Indonesia, but beyond—to prevent the spread of these diseases and to make sure that we've got doses of vaccine. Some 435,000 doses of LSD vaccine have been delivered to Indonesia and we continue to provide technical support to that country.