Varroa Mite

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (14:23): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development regarding varroa mite preparedness.

Leave granted.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: According to the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council Chief Executive Officer Danny Le Feuvre, as part of the national management program a varroa development officer will be in every jurisdiction across Australia, and they will work one on one with those beekeepers. The officers would help apiarists to develop their management plans, understanding the pests and look at what might best suit them in terms of treatment in their individual areas. These officers would be particularly important in states that did not yet have varroa mite. He has said in media reports, and I quote:

It will help support those beekeepers set up some industry surveillance programs where we can have a network of sentinel hives looking for that early detection, so that our beekeepers can be best prepared for when it gets to their areas.

He said a pollination industry coordinator would also be appointed to enable the flow of information between the honey bee and pollination-dependent industries. My questions to the minister are:

1. When will the varroa development officer begin in our state?

2. Will a pollination industry coordinator be appointed here in South Australia?

3. How many state-funded biosecurity inspectors will be employed for compliance and surveillance activities over the next five years?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:25): I thank the honourable member for her question. First of all, it's just worth making the point that, according to my advice, there are already sentinel hives in South Australia and there have been for a very long time. Indeed, it was, if I recall correctly, in sentinel hives in New South Wales that varroa mite was first detected. In terms of time lines or whether some of those processes are already in place, to which the honourable member referred, I will bring back an answer.