Ursula Stephens (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Science and Water) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Abetz, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation. Can the minister confirm that weeds cost the agriculture industry $4 billion annually and that weed control action cost the industry $1.1 billion last year? Is it also true that any farmer will tell you that weeds are one of their top two problems and that weed infestation will be even worse after the drought? In that context, is the minister aware that the cooperative research centre committee has refused to even interview the proponents of a new Invasive Plants CRC because of a government directive to not fund environmental research under this program? Why has the government taken such an anti-farmer stance by wiping its hands of investment in research aimed at tackling this massive problem for Australia’s farm sector?