Chapter Five - Conclusion
5.1
The Committee
notes that since it commenced this inquiry a number of administrative developments
have been instituted that are designed to address some of the concerns raised
during the inquiry. However, some of the concerns remain.
Risk Assessment and Mitigation strategies
5.2
The concerns that
arise from the methodology and risk assessment, together with the proposed risk
mitigation strategies continue. The Committee focused its attention when
examining the risk assessment and mitigation strategies on the disease of fire
blight.
5.3
If the revised
model is to continue to base its assessment of risk on the assumption that
apples will be exported trash free from New Zealand then the certification
process needs to be carefully re-examined so that Australian growers can have
confidence in the assurances that the trash free criteria will be meet.
5.4
Further, the Committee shares the growers concern that the model does not
give appropriate weight to the economic consequences of a fire blight outbreak
in Australia. It recommends that it be reviewed in the revision that is to take
place.
5.5
Finally, the
Committee continues to be concerned about the practicality of some of the risk
mitigation strategies. It is in these that science meets the real world of farming
and retail and it is therefore important that the merger is satisfactory. The
Committee is therefore concerned that the procedure to identify blocks of
orchards as symptomless for fire blight lacks detail.
Administration of process
5.6
The Committee acknowledges
industry's concerns in relation to Biosecurity Australia's administration of
the IRA process, and in fact shares some of those concerns.
5.7
The Committee has
particular concerns in relation to the credibility of the process and the
credibility of Biosecurity Australia itself – both from the perspective of the
industry and those observing the IRA process.
5.8
Significant
differences exist between the way in which Biosecurity Australia views its
administration of the process and how its role is perceived by the industry,
and the Committee believes that it is up to Biosecurity Australia to address
those differences. Changes need to be made in relation to the type of language
used, the way in which consultation is undertaken and the way in which
information is disseminated. The Committee has made a number of recommendations
to give effect to these views.
5.9
The Committee
believes that important lessons should be learned from mistakes made during
this and previous processes, and in future, it will be looking for demonstrable
evidence that these lessons have been learned, changes made and acted upon.
Senator the Hon. Bill Heffernan
Chair