Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

The answer to the senator's question is as follows:

(1) Mr Peter McFarlane of McFarlane Strategic Services was the Principal Investigator for the National Culinary Herb and Spice Industry Levy Consultation project.

During the consultation process some 1000 copies of the levy proposal booklet were printed and distributed to industry participants, including direct mail plus email copies to over 500 stakeholders, with supplementary distribution through regional industry associations, wholesale markets, state agriculture departments, and other industry networks.

A total of 21 regional meetings were convened during October and November 2010. Some 95 stakeholders made direct input on the levy proposal, including 75 verbal depositions at seminars and farm visits, plus 20 email / post submissions were received.

Mr McFarlane received $24 700 in payment for his role as Principal Investigator and

$11 200 in travel and accommodation expenses during the project.

(2) The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry received advice on 10 May 2011 from the Australian Herb and Spice Industry Association of a Declaration of Result for the herb and spice levy ballot issued on 5 May 2011 by the Australian Electoral Commission. The result was that, from the 34 ballot papers returned for scrutiny, there were:

(3) The statement attributed to the Chief Plant Protection Officer that appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age on 5 September 2012 was a partial extract. The full statement was that "Since 2010, 13000 tonnes of New Zealand tomatoes and capsicums, also susceptible to the disease, have been imported under strict biosecurity rules with no detection of the psyllid or the bacteria in the Australian environment."

This was also stated in DAFF's media release of 17 August 2012 (http://www.daff.gov.au/about/media-centre/dept-releases/2012/zebra-chip).

The detection of a psyllid in a consignment under quarantine supervision does not constitute an "incursion in the Australian environment".

(4) The allocation of biosecurity resources is not allocated against flight origin.

(5) The Senator's question implies that there has been a psyllid incursion in the Australian environment. There has not been a detection or an incursion of the tomato potato psyllid in the Australian environment.

(6) DAFF was not involved in discussions relating to the recent changes in the duty-free tobacco concession. DAFF officers do not enforce this new regulation. DAFF officers will refer tobacco products to the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service if such products are detected during the course of a biosecurity inspection.

(7) This question is best put to the Minister for Home Affairs who manages the disposal of tobacco products seized at the border.

(8) There are no Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry staff who deliver policy support functions at airports and mail centres. With respect to operational staff, there has been no reduction in the number of operational staff as a result of the 2012-13 efficiency dividends.

Questions about the impact of the efficiency dividend on the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service; the Australian Federal Police and the Department and Immigration and Citizenship should be put to either the Minister for Home Affairs or the minister for Immigration and Citizenship.

(9) For the period 1 December 2011 to 30 November 2012, 6.5 per cent of seizure lines within the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry's Mail and Passenger System (MAPS) were recorded as being seized from or surrendered by passengers arriving on flights from New Zealand.