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

I thank all senators for their contributions to this debate—some of which I agree with more than others, but I very much welcome the contributions we've seen.

The Biosecurity Amendment (Strengthening Biosecurity) Bill 2022 will amend the Biosecurity Act 2015 to strengthen Australia's ability to manage biosecurity risks, such as foot-and-mouth disease, posed by goods and by maritime and aviation traveller arrivals. In response to the current threats, we have deployed the strongest-ever response to a biosecurity threat at our border. We've supported our Indo-Pacific neighbours, toughened our legislation, stress-tested our preparedness and aligned ourselves carefully with state and territory partners in the nation's first National Biosecurity Strategy.

It's worth repeating that Australia remains both foot-and-mouth-disease and lumpy-skin-disease free. But the last few months have illustrated the need for a biosecurity system which is up to contemporary challenges. To that end, I'm pleased to say that the centrepiece of our agriculture budget this year was an investment of $134.1 million to bolster Australia's biosecurity system against the immediate threat of disease.

Critical to implementing these measures are strong legislative powers that enable biosecurity officers to effectively manage the biosecurity risk. This will be done through new measures that manage biosecurity risk arising from travellers and classes of individuals for the purposes of preventing or reducing the risk of a disease or pest, such as foot-and-mouth disease, being introduced into Australia through the footwear and clothing of travellers.

The bill will strengthen the legislative framework in responding to and managing human biosecurity risks. This will be done by expanding prearrival reporting requirements, to ensure access to up-to-date information is available to inform the management of human biosecurity risks, and strengthening penalties for noncompliance. The bill will enable more effective sharing of information with government agencies and other bodies in line with other Commonwealth legislation while ensuring that protected information is afforded appropriate safeguards.

The bill will increase pecuniary penalties that apply to specified criminal offences and civil penalty provisions in chapters 3 and 4 of the Biosecurity Act, which deal with managing biosecurity risks relating to goods and conveyances. These increases apply primarily to regulated entities such as commercial importers and to operators and persons in charge of aircraft or vessels, all of whom have a particular responsibility to know and understand their obligations under the Biosecurity Act. The increased civil penalties will serve as a deterrent to anybody considering undermining our biosecurity laws, and the criminal penalties will allow appropriate and proportionate punishment for offences under the Biosecurity Act. The process for making certain determinations relating to the import of goods, including the granting of permits based on risk assessments, will be streamlined by this bill. Other amendments will ensure transparency and efficiency of expenditure on biosecurity related programs and activities by permitting the agriculture minister and the health minister to authorise the expenditure directly through the Biosecurity Act.

This bill will enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the management of approved arrangements while also improving processes for approved arrangement administration, auditing and the consideration of compensation claims. The bill will provide for a new civil penalty provision targeting individuals who attempt to conceal goods from a biosecurity official at the border. The new penalties will be subject to the infringement notice scheme under the Biosecurity Act and serve as a deterrent to carrying out this serious behaviour that could jeopardise Australia's biosecurity status.

I know there's been a lot of public commentary about the level of penalties that exist under current legislation in relation to biosecurity offences, and the government is taking action to lift those penalties to ensure that we have strong deterrents against people doing the wrong thing and exposing our food and livestock and grains and crops industries to biosecurity threats. Passage of this bill will ensure that the biosecurity framework remains effective and responsive in protecting Australia's animal and plant health, environment and economy. This includes ensuring the biosecurity framework remains fit for purpose when responding to emerging biosecurity and human biosecurity risks. I foreshadow that I will be moving amendments at the appropriate time.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.