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

My question is to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Can the minister confirm whether Australia's biosecurity requirements from today's announcement to import US beef will be at least to the equivalent to the biosecurity requirements that Australian beef must meet to be imported into the US?

Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would say to the Leader of the Nationals that this decision has been made by my department, and it is through the usual processes that these decisions are made. As he would be well aware, of course, this has been an ongoing process now for over a decade in terms of US beef coming into Australia. Indeed, US beef has been able to come into Australia since 2019, and in 2020 they asked for expanded access to allow some of the other beef from the supply chain that is slaughtered in the US to come from Canada and Mexico. I would say to the member opposite that this has been done in the usual way. The department has published the review on the website today in the usual way. The import details that are required for importers will be published on the website and provided on Monday in the usual way.

As the member opposite would know, the protocols in relation to the areas that he is suggesting have actually already been provided to his office today on his email, so the member opposite needs to be very careful here about trying to undermine Australia's biosecurity system. Our biosecurity system is the strongest in the world for a good reason. We've had to invest around $2 billion dollars to strengthen our biosecurity system because of the mess that you left it in, so you should not be undermining our scientific approach to—

Hon. Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

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

The minister will pause. I can't hear anything she's saying. I just want to be very clear with everyone. The minister was asked about protocols. She's explaining exactly to the House, on the question she was asked, in detail about what her department is doing, when they're being published—I don't know why this is so controversial. She is being directly relevant, and I just want to make sure I can hear. I want the minister to be heard because I need to hear what she's saying, in case someone does take a point of order and they want me to make a decision about what she's saying; I've got to hear that. I think other members of the House want to hear it as well. The minister has concluded? Okay. We're going to keep moving.