Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak to the Biosecurity Amendment (Strengthening Biosecurity) Bill 2022, and to inform the chamber that the coalition parties will be supporting the government's efforts in this regard. The federal coalition supports the passage of the bill.

We support this legislation because it will amend the Biosecurity Act 2015 with measures that will enhance the operation of Australia's national biosecurity framework. It will strengthen the management of risks across maritime and aviation pathways, improve the efficiency of the act and increase a range of civil and criminal penalties for breaches of biosecurity law. Also, the passage of this bill will address recommendations made by the Inspector-General of Biosecurity in his review of the Ruby Princess incident and the New South Wales special commission of inquiry.

Significantly, this bill is similar to legislation introduced last year by the federal coalition. It's absolutely fantastic to see the Labor Party, particularly in an area of policy where they don't have a lot of strength, where stakeholders traditionally don't put their faith and store in a Labor government—that being the policy area of agriculture—doing the right thing and adopting the coalition legislation that lapsed as a result of the election, and re-presenting it here to the Senate.