House of Assembly: Wednesday, March 04, 2020

Contents

Fruit Fly

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (14:42): Supplementary: minister, does that mean I should have written to the office of biosecurity rather than you when I drew your attention to my constituent who went to Yamba with a docket? What was different with her docket to the docket where the fine was waived? You have just said a docket fine was waived, so I am not sure how that docket is more superior to my constituent's docket.

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE (Chaffey—Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development) (14:43): To the member for Florey, I am very happy to look further into that, but the relevant docket would be for the purchase of that fruit—

Ms Bedford: It was.

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE: —that was purchased in South Australia. So if the purchase is made in South Australia, with a docket of proof of receipt for that fruit, then it is used as a defence at the border or it is used as a defence at the random roadblock. What I would say is that the biosecurity officers, as I understand it, would wave through any person bringing fruit into South Australia or into the fruit fly free areas of the Riverland with a docket and they would not receive an on-the-spot fine. If they did receive a fine, I am very happy to look at that and sit with you to work a way through that. But I have not heard of any dockets that have been produced and then a fine being issued upon the issue of that receipt.

Ms BEDFORD: If I may ask a second supplementary, Mr Speaker—

The SPEAKER: Final question, member for Florey.