Federal biosecurity legislation changes brought into effect in June this year have now been followed by the Tasmanian government’s statement paper on the future of Tasmania’s biosecurity legislation.
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The paper outlines the government’s proposed redevelopment of seven current pieces of state legislation into a single Biosecurity Act.
Primary Industries and Water Minister Jeremy Rockliff released the paper for public comment last week, saying that “biosecurity is everyone’s responsibility and the proposed new legislation reflects this principle”.
Key points include a focus on streamlining all codes and regulations, with “flexible and appropriate powers” for enforcement, surveillance and emergency response.
Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association chief executive Peter Skillern said that the TFGA is currently in consultation following the paper’s release, with some concerns on how regulation will be practically applied.
“By and large we’re quite comfortable with [the paper],” he said.
“Obviously we’ll participate vigorously in the review process, and hopefully others will too.”
The establishment of an independent biosecurity advisory committee is also a recommendation, a proposal Mr Skillern said the TFGA “would be very supportive of”.
Peak industry body Ag Institute Australia recently streamlined its own biosecurity policy, warning that Australia’s high levels of biosecurity must be maintained to ensure the safety of imports and exports into the future.
AIA national chair Andrew Bishop noted that in the years before the overhaul of the federal government’s biosecurity legislation, individual state laws created challenges in regulation and communication.
Mr Bishop said that increased consistency between state and federal laws was important, as was regulatory flexibility for states such as Tasmania and Western Australia, being the most remote and having “unique biology”.
Mr Bishop said that the AIA’s stand remains that biosecurity is the responsibility of everyone, not simply reduced to the responsibility of a state or government-based body or to farmers alone.
“One of the key issues … is presenting biosecurity to the general public,” Mr Bishop said.
Mr Skillern likewise said that more awareness of biosecurity issues is needed within the whole community, not just in the agricultural industries.
Public comment is open until December 23 on the Biosecurity Tasmania website.
Further consultation will follow when the draft legislation is released in early 2017.
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