PLANT HEALTH BILL

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 25 November 2008. Page 808.)

The Hon. C.V. SCHAEFER (16:50): The Liberal Party supports this bill. It was introduced in the lower house in, I think, October last year, and replaces the Fruit and Plant Protection Act 1992. It is merely a modernisation and upgrade of that act, and seeks to further protect South Australia's plant health status and market access, both of which are highly regarded throughout the world. I add that the plant and horticultural industry is a $1.5 billion industry within Australia.

This bill will, perhaps, further minimise the risk of declared pests and diseases entering Australia and ensure appropriate responses to new pest or disease outbreaks. It is hoped that these improvements will be facilitated by better monitoring and further control and streamlining of emergency responses in times of threat of increased disease. The bill establishes an input verification compliance system and gives broader powers to prevent the outbreak or spread of a declared pest. It further expands reporting requirements and regulates wholesale labelling for packaging of imported and local horticultural produce which is to be sold within South Australia.

The bill changes the methodology of applying charges across the industry, and there has been some speculation as to whether it will increase the amount of red tape applicable, particularly when importing horticultural goods into the state. We are assured by the government that that will not be the case, but whenever one reads of an increase in efficiency by requiring further paperwork one does retain some degree of cynicism about whether it will, in fact, actually increase efficiency.

However, the bill does modernise the methods used and, hopefully, will continue to support what is a very valuable industry in South Australia. South Australia is acknowledged as being free of many of the plant diseases and pests which manifest themselves in other states and other nations, and we will support wholeheartedly anything we can do to support our clean, green status internationally and nationally.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. J.M. Gazzola.