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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-09-18 Daily Xml
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Genetically Modified Crops Moratorium

Dr HARVEY (Newland) (14:27): Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Members on my left will allow the member for Newland to ask a question in silence. Member for Newland.

Dr HARVEY: My question is to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development. Can the minister inform the house—

Mr Malinauskas: What about Service SA?

The SPEAKER: The leader will not interject. Member for Newland.

Dr HARVEY: Can the minister inform the house how the state government is delivering on an election commitment for an independent review of the GM moratorium?

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE (Chaffey—Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development) (14:27): I certainly can, and I thank the member for Newland for his important question—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister has the call.

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE: —and I know he welcomes this state government's commitment to an independent review into the GM moratorium. The GM debate has festered on for long enough and this government is putting action into place. As a pre-election commitment, we have installed, and promised to install, a full independent review to the GM moratorium here in South Australia. At the Growing SA conference on Friday in Hahndorf, hosted by Livestock SA and Grain Producers SA, I announced that the state government has commissioned Emeritus Professor Kym Anderson AC to undertake an independent review of the genetically modified food crops moratorium here in South Australia.

Emeritus Professor Kym Anderson AC has significant experience and expertise and is globally recognised as an applied policy analyst in the economics, agriculture, food and wine sectors. Under the policy principles established within the Gene Technology Act in 2001, the current moratorium on the commercial growing of GM food crops in South Australia exists for trade and market access purposes. The former Labor government put the GM food crops moratorium in place to 2019 and then somehow sneakily extended it to 2025.

The terms of reference outlining what the review will entail have now been released. The review will include assessing the available evidence on the market benefits of South Australia's moratorium and the awareness of South Australia's moratorium by key trading partners and food production businesses operating here in South Australia and other Australian states.

Once completed, the review will enable better informed policy decisions regarding GM food crops here in South Australia. Matters of human health, safety and environmental impacts are not within the scope of this review, as the regulation of these aspects of gene technology are covered under the commonwealth legislation. Under the Genetically Modified Crops Management Act 2004 and regulations, the current moratorium on the commercial cultivation of GM food crops is in place until 2025.

This is an independent review, and I want to reaffirm that there is no predetermined outcome. I encourage everyone who wants to have their say to put forward a submission. Written submissions are due by Friday 26 October 2018 via email: pirsa.gmreview@sa.gov.au. It is expected that the review will be completed by the first quarter of 2019. Hashtag #RegionsMatter.

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