Fruit Fly

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN (Lee) (14:19): My question is to the Minister for Primary Industries. Why is it that the fruit fly outbreak is spiralling out of control under his watch?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Point of order: standing order 97. I know the minister will answer this question very directly and capably, but I cannot help but point out how much argument is in that question.

The Hon. V.A. Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Deputy Premier will cease interjecting. I have the point of order. I will give the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development an opportunity to answer the question, noting that it does appear to traverse upon the subject matter of standing order 97. I will give the minister the opportunity to answer the question.

The Hon. D.K.B. BASHAM (Finniss—Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development) (14:20): I thank the member for his very important question. It's lovely to see some interest in the primary industry sector.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister has the call.

The Hon. D.K.B. BASHAM: The horticulture industry is a very important industry to the state: a $1.3 billion industry with 37½ thousand people employed in that industry. Taking a hard line on fruit fly is very important to us in making sure that we get on top of these outbreaks.

There have been a significant number of outbreaks in Adelaide over the last 12 months. We have seen those outbreaks continue, and we decided that we needed to certainly lift the level of interaction with those outbreaks, only a week or so ago, when we announced that we were going in to strip fruit off trees, particularly in those areas of Stepney and Prospect where we are seeing continued activity with larvae being found in trees, to try to remove the fruit and break the life cycle of the fruit flies. This is very much above normal activity in the fruit fly response.

We have been out there baiting and we have about 250 people working in this space across the state, across the 11 zones in the Adelaide area, plus the outbreak zones in the Riverland. It's very pleasing that we are looking like getting on top of probably one of the zones up in the Riverland, in the Monash zone, getting that removed certainly by the end of this month, provided that no more larvae or flies are detected in that zone. It is very pleasing that that area is going according to plan.

Unfortunately, this year there seems to have been a problem right across the southern parts of Australia. We are seeing significant increases in fruit fly numbers in Victoria, we have had outbreaks in WA and we have had outbreaks here. The seasonal conditions, particularly in South Australia, have been very favourable to fruit fly. We have seen increased activity. It has not been too hot for them, it has not been too cold for them, it has just been that perfect Goldilocks weather that has allowed their life cycle to actually continue—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left!

The Hon. D.K.B. BASHAM: —but we are working and we are doing everything we can—

The Hon. A. Piccolo interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Light!

The Hon. D.K.B. BASHAM: —and we very much thank the public of South Australia, the public here in Adelaide—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.K.B. BASHAM: —for everything they have done in assisting us. They have been very generous in allowing us to go and pick their trees—

Mr Boyer interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Wright!

The Hon. D.K.B. BASHAM: —in those Stepney and Prospect areas. We continue to thank them very much for their support, doing the right thing and understanding that it's very important that we have their help. With the movement of outbreaks within the city and the distance that these outbreaks have moved over time, it is very clear that it has been the movement of fruit by people, not by the flies flying themselves. They don't have the ability to fly that far. It's very much that fruit has been moved, so we need to encourage people and make them understand the need to make sure that fruit does not move across those regions and therefore limit the outbreaks going forward.

PIRSA has a wonderful presence out there in their orange overalls and I thank them for all the wonderful work they are doing, and they continue to do in this space, and thank them for their efforts in getting this under control. Unfortunately, we will be in an outbreak zone in the Adelaide region right through until 4 December at the earliest due to winter and the fact that the life cycle of the flies does not allow eradication during the winter period, but we will continue to be out there baiting and trapping, making sure we are getting those outbreaks under control.