Nick Sherry (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Superannuation and Corporate Law) Share this | Hansard source

In the 10 years that it has taken to develop the draft—it is still in draft form—prawns have been imported from around the world, potentially carrying white spot virus and a number of other diseases. In response to a suspected occurrence of white spot virus in a research facility in Darwin, the former government announced interim measures and later updated the interim measures. That is what the current Labor government has inherited—interim import conditions and a draft risk assessment which, as I have said, is 10 years old. Before the National Party—in their occasional, very occasional, foray in this chamber into these issues—dare to criticise, they should have a long, hard look at what they did not do in 10 years in this area.

To go to the comments of the Vietnamese Prime Minister in respect of this matter, Australia has amended interim quarantine measures for prawns and prawn products based on a comprehensive scientific risk assessment that is essential to ensure that Australian prawn stocks remain free of the diseases of concern. The quarantine measures that were introduced in July 2007—and I think that the current opposition were actually in government then—allow imports to continue, including from Vietnam, provided Australia’s import requirements relating to testing and processing are met. Australia recently amended the measures to remove testing requirements on uncooked prawn meat for—and it is in Latin, so here it goes—infectious hypodermal and haematopoietic necrosis virus. Following the discovery of IHHNV— (Time expired)