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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-07-04 Daily Xml
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Fruit Fly

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (16:34): I move:

That this council—

1. Notes that South Australia remains Australia’s only mainland state that is fruit fly free;

2. Acknowledges that an outbreak of fruit fly in South Australia would have a significant impact on the ability of horticultural producers in South Australia, including in the Adelaide Hills, to gain access to international markets; and

3. Calls on the state government to work with the federal government to increase biosecurity measures in South Australia to protect our thriving horticultural industry.

South Australia is renowned the world over for its magnificent produce. Our crayfish and tuna are exported to all corners of the globe, not to mention our award winning wines. Our jams and quinces—think Beerenberg and Maggie Beer—enjoy similar international appeal, and Kangaroo Island honey is from the world's only source of pure Ligurian bees. Our delectable locally produced food is enjoyed across the globe, with more and more local producers seeking access to export markets to help grow their business and subsequently grow the state's economy.

South Australia's horticultural export value is $243 million each year. For that success to continue to grow and prosper we must do all in our power to protect the sanctity of our homegrown produce; however, that is proving to be a challenge each year. Our wonderful horticultural industry is always under threat. Decades ago, we had inspectors on our borders to check and dispose of fruit coming in. Governments later took the high risk to make it a voluntary practice.

Some in this place may be aware of the east-west protocol, an international acceptance that Western Australia and South Australia are free of Qfly, and that South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales are free of Medfly. That means that South Australia is the only mainland state that is fruit fly free. The east-west protocol allows the federal Department of Agriculture and Water Resources to negotiate market access by seeking acceptance of the east-west protocol to allow commodities to treat for either Medfly or Qfly rather than both. I am advised that in many instances it is simply not commercially viable to treat both Medfly and Qfly.

Australian horticultural exports are valued at $1.2 billion annually. Crucially, all of this hinges on South Australia remaining fruit fly free. Cherries are an example of an industry that would suffer should the east-west protocol fail. Mainland access to China, Thailand, USA and Indonesia using cold treatment or fumigation are linked to specific treatment for Qfly. The advice I have received is that the Medfly treatments are unviable commercially. The recent access to China would collapse if the east-west protocol fails. The South Australian cherry industry has worked tirelessly for over 20 years to gain access to China, and we must do everything in our power to ensure that our local businesses can continue to export to our largest trading partner.

It is crucial that the SA government works with the federal government to ensure that we have the best possible quarantine and biosecurity measures in place in South Australia to protect the ongoing viability of our horticultural sector. In the Adelaide Hills in particular, several orchards and farms are at risk. The many roads through the hills make quarantine checkpoints impractical and the orchards' proximity to Adelaide means that the entire area is at risk should fruit fly find its way into South Australia in someone's luggage.

Tasmania is the only other state in Australia that is fruit fly free and its horticultural exports are valued at between $50 million and $60 million annually. Being an island, it is much easier to enforce strict quarantine measures than here in South Australia. When there was an outbreak of fruit fly in Tasmania last year the federal government stepped in and delivered $20 million in the federal budget to assist with fruit fly control—this for a state with a small output and where the outbreak of fruit fly does not threaten the viability of the rest of the nation's exports.

Today, I call upon the South Australian government to make it a priority to invest in biosecurity and quarantine measures that will protect South Australia from fruit fly and to work with the federal government to help secure Australia's horticultural industry for decades to come.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins.

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