John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Sherry. Will the minister confirm that the agriculture minister, Mr Burke, has stated that he supports in principle all the recommendations of the Beale report, and that he has also stated that he will not rule out the importation of live foot-and-mouth disease virus to Australia?

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

Thank you for the question. I do recall that matter was the subject of some hours of fairly exhaustive questions and discussion at the recent estimates hearings. I do believe that the matters were canvassed, including the one you have raised, and in fact may have been taken on notice. I will endeavour, as I always try to be of assistance to the National Party—

Government Senators:

Government senators interjecting—

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

despite their doormat status in the coalition. The government recognises the importance—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order!

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

I attempt to be pleasant and I get screams of interjections, Mr President. The government recognises the importance of a rigorous system to minimise the risk of pests and disease, particularly as globalisation and climate change increase these threats. On 18 December 2008, the minister released the independent review of Australia’s quarantine and biosecurity arrangements, and the government’s preliminary response. The review delivers on a key election commitment. It is the first review since what was known as the Nairn review of 1996, which was established by the previous Labor government, and the panel found that Australia’s biosecurity and quarantine systems can be improved to deal with the emerging biosecurity threats. There were three sets of main changes: improving partnerships with the states and territories as well as industry; improving governance structures, including a— (Time expired)

John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Considering Minister Burke’s opinion and attitude about not ruling out the importation of live foot-and-mouth disease virus to Australia, what guarantees can he give that the foot-and-mouth disease virus will not escape and decimate Australia’s sheep and cattle industries, along with the pork and goat industries, just as the calicivirus escaped from a laboratory in South Australia while being researched?

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

As I pointed out, this was the subject of some hours of questioning at Senate estimates. What became apparent at the Senate estimates hearings on this issue is that there is no—I repeat, no—current application to import foot-and-mouth virus. And despite the attempts of a range of senators at Senate estimates to unfairly inject fear into the general community on this issue, it became very apparent that that was really all that the approach of the National and Liberal parties’ senators was—that is, to inject fear, quite unreasonably. As I have said, there is no current application to import foot-and-mouth virus. That is the situation as of today; that was the situation at estimates a fortnight ago. (Time expired)

John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. The senator still has not said that Minister Burke will not rule it out. If the foot-and-mouth disease virus is imported and escapes quarantine, will the government offer full and complete financial compensation to all those affected by such an error of judgment by our political leaders?

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

The senator persists in reading a question that has been prewritten and continues, as occurred at estimates, I think wilfully, to mislead and assert quite wrongly a hypothetical situation. As I have said here on a number of occasions—and certainly the National Party could not understand the evidence and the detailed outline given at Senate estimates—there is no application for the importation of foot-and-mouth virus; there is none at all. What we have here is a typical relevance deprivation question from the National Party to try to make itself more relevant on issues it has ignored for so long. (Time expired)