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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-05-15 Daily Xml
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Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (14:24): I seek leave to offer a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Primary Industries on the topic of the tomato brown rugose virus.

Leave granted.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: It is the opposition's understanding that, in addition to discovery of the tomato brown rugose virus in Victoria several months ago, there has now been another confirmed positive in New South Wales, meaning that the virus is confirmed as present in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. Importantly, it is understood that the latest incursion has come from a different batch of seed and is therefore likely not linked to the previous infections.

Moreover, we also understand that a collective of tomato and capsicum growers made representations late last year to state primary industry ministers, expressing concerns of 'lack of action and transparency from the South Australian government' and noting that 'Australia's response lags behind the world'. My questions to the minister are:

1. Can the minister confirm the recent detections in new locations, where those locations are and what impact this may have on the plans for the incursion from this point forward?

2. Given that this is not linked to the previous infections, how does this affect the likelihood of eradication being technically feasible?

3. Does the minister have any plans to transfer to management of the virus rather than continuing to pursue eradication?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:26): I thank the honourable member for her question. According to my advice, on 11 May the virus was detected in seedlings provided to an already infected property in Victoria, if I remember correctly, by a commercial nursery in New South Wales. The latest detection was identified after the infected property in Victoria received seedlings from the New South Wales nursery.

As part of the national response plan requirements, the infected property is currently testing seedlings as they arrive. The New South Wales nursery is not known to have received any infected material from any of the infected businesses in South Australia or in Victoria. At this stage, the extent of host plant material movement from the New South Wales nursery is not fully known. A surveillance and tracing investigation on the New South Wales nursery is currently underway.

Following that detection, the Consultative Committee on Emergency Plant Pests (CCEPP) had their first meeting earlier this week to consider the information and the outcomes of the surveillance and tracing at the New South Wales production nursery. Members may recall that response to diseases such as the tomato brown rugose virus is a national response. The CCEPP makes recommendations to the National Management Group on whether they consider that it is technically feasible to eradicate.

So far, and certainly until this week, the view has been—and this is based on the technical advice that is provided through that committee—that it has been feasible to eradicate. At the meeting earlier this week, as I understand it, it was agreed that further information needed to be provided before they could make a fully informed recommendation. The tracing and surveillance, which is continuing, includes various testing, and that needs to be provided to the CCEPP before further recommendations can be made. In the meantime, South Australia will continue to follow the national response plan whilst those investigations are underway.

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