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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-06-05 Daily Xml
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Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus

Ms PRATT (Frome) (14:59): My question is to the Premier. What steps has the state government taken to call for a national review of the tomato brown rugose virus's impact on South Australian growers? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Ms PRATT: On 19 March 2025 the government amended a motion to state that a national review will occur once the ToBRFV response in South Australia has been completed and eradication is achieved, but last week the National Management Group declared it is not feasible to eradicate the virus from Australia.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:59): Thank you very much to the shadow minister for her question. As the member for Frome foreshadowed in her question last week, there was a significant movement with respect to the national position in regard to the virus affecting our tomatoes not just in South Australia but around the country, particularly given that the virus has been identified in other jurisdictions outside of our own.

The movement and consideration more nationally away from an approach of eradication towards active management does bring good news in some instances. PIRSA and the state government more broadly continue to advocate for a greater relaxation of some of the restrictions that are placed upon South Australian growers into other key markets. Although there has been substantial progress in this regard with a number of jurisdictions, there still remains a number of other jurisdictions that aren't as far advanced as we would like in respect of their capacity to be able to deal with South Australian growers. Of course, the virus had a very substantial impact on our state. Although that impact was ameliorated for many people, the ones who were affected were affected rather adversely.

We will continue to engage with other jurisdictions but also at a commonwealth level. We think it would be virtuous to actively consider how we can have a nationally consistent approach in terms of the management of the virus, provided that everyone is playing by the same rules. I guess part of the frustration we have had in South Australia as the first state to be subjected to this menace, through nobody's fault, is there hasn't been a consistent rulebook across jurisdictions. As the member for Frome would appreciate, that makes it even harder for those people who are growers.

We will continue to advocate accordingly. This has been particularly difficult given that this is the first time that this has occurred. To use probably a pretty poor analogy, it has felt like in many respects officials have been flying the plane and putting it together at the same time on this one. But that does present an opportunity to respond and get it right.

We also continue to engage with growers on other practical ways PIRSA can contemplate challenges like this into the future. Biosecurity isn't immune to the horticultural sector, again as I know the member for Frome is well aware. We have a number of biosecurity risks that the state is confronting at the moment, including with livestock. Looking at capacity around testing and looking at capacity around notifications and communications is a responsibility that we hold pretty seriously and will do our best to tackle.

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