FRUIT FLY

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (15:16): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries a question about fruit fly.

Leave granted.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: The minister has been asked many questions in this place about fruit fly. As South Australians would know, this is a very small insect which can cause damage out of all proportion to its own tiny dimensions. South Australians are schooled to ensure that we take steps to keep our state free of fruit fly. My question to the minister is: can the minister advise of new developments to support this important status?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (15:17): It is correct that the Weatherill government is very serious about maintaining South Australia's status as the only mainland state that is free from what is recognised as a significant pest for fruit and vegetables worldwide, that is, fruit fly. As the only mainland state that is free of fruit fly, we intend to keep that pest at bay.

Each year, about $5 million is spent on keeping fruit fly out of South Australia through our fruit fly surveillance, border controls monitoring and public education programs. The state government has funded a major campaign to make sure that people coming into South Australia understand the restrictions of entry to protect the state's agricultural sector. The government has increased random roadblocks by 50 per cent, increased the fruit fly community awareness program by 25 per cent, and distributed around 60,000 pamphlets to information and other travel venues outside our state borders.

Investing in biosecurity provides significant benefits to horticultural growers and exporters, saving them many millions of dollars annually to treat fruit fly destined for interstate or overseas. This year's state budget provided an extra $1 million over four years for enhanced fruit fly arrangements, and this new funding will be used along with the co-contributions from industry and other partners for a new state-of-the-art sterile insect technology facility to drive research to combat fruit fly in Australia.

Controlling fruit fly brings significant economic and social benefits for production. In South Australia, the absence of fruit fly protects a $675 million per annum horticulture industry, primarily focused on the Riverland. Members opposite will be aware that the state governments in New South Wales and Victoria have effectively abandoned the control of Queensland fruit fly, apart from the Sunraysia pest-free area. This means that many horticulturalists are facing increasing challenges and additional costs to control the pest and maintain international and some interstate trade.

The established status of this fly interstate is increasing the risk to South Australia and could lead to an outbreak in the Riverland, which has remained free of outbreaks since 1991. The outbreak would have a major impact on export markets, impact the economic returns to growers and could cost the industry up to $50 million. This increased biosecurity risk is one that South Australia cannot afford to take. The main method of controlling these pests has been insecticide application chemicals, applied both pre and post harvest, to support production and maintain market access. To reduce the reliance on chemicals, other technologies have been developed, including sterilising male insects to reduce reproduction and populations. This technology, using sterile male insects, has not been used to combat the Queensland fruit fly before; however, it has been successful in the control of the Mediterranean fruit fly from Western Australia and is increasingly used as a front-line defence for fruit fly around the world.

This is why the state government has secured funds to construct a facility to research sterile insect technology and produce a line of male-only Queensland fruit fly for South Australia and the rest of the country. South Australia has taken the lead and has committed $3 million to build a dedicated sterile insect technology production facility in the Upper Spencer Gulf. This research and development facility will be a national and international collaboration, bringing together a partnership of Horticulture Australia Limited (HAL), CSIRO Biosecurity Flagship and Plant and Food Research Australia, so that together an investment of approximately $15 million will be made over five years to develop a male-only line of Qfly.

The state government will actively seek other partners interstate to join the collaboration and share its benefits. The exciting thing about this particular technology is that not only will it help prevent outbreaks of this pest but also aid in the eradication of Qfly, so it acts as both a preventative and a method for eradication. The development of a male-only line of Qfly is world leading, and supports South Australia's commitment to premium food and wine from a clean environment, using our position as a scientific and technical leader in agriculture and biosecurity.

Another major benefit of the new facility would be the potential for reducing reliance on agrichemicals. This kind of technology is environmentally friendly and can be used in orchards, urban areas, around farm animals and pets, and in environmentally-sensitive areas where conventional chemical treatment is not possible or is intrusive, and there is obviously no risk of resistance if repeatedly used, and rapid treatment of large areas can be achieved.

Work on the new facility is expected to take two years and will begin later this financial year, continuing into 2014-15. The research team will start work in 2014-15, and I am pleased that the Weatherill government has brought together the Australian and New Zealand interests to develop what I expect will be a significant benefit to our horticulture industry for many, many years to come.