CHAPTER 1
OVERVIEW OF INQUIRY
Terms of reference
Conduct of the Inquiry
Scope of the Inquiry
Acknowledgments
Terms of reference
1.1 On 22 August 1996, the Senate referred the following matter to the
Legislation Committee for inquiry and report:
The administration and management by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection
Service and the Department of Primary Industries and Energy of all aspects
of the importation of cooked chicken meat into Australia.
1.2 In accordance with the resolution, the Committee was required to
report to the Senate on or before 10 October, 1996. On 10 October 1996,
the Senate agreed to extend the date for the presentation of this report
to 31 October 1996.
Conduct of the Inquiry
1.3 The Committee received 30 written submissions on the reference. A
list of the submissions appears in Appendix 1.
1.4 Following the referral of the inquiry the Australian Quarantine and
Inspection Service, the Committee held a hearing on 28 August 1996 in
Canberra with representatives of (AQIS), the (DPIE), and Department of
Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the Australia New Zealand Food Authority
(ANZFA) to ascertain the current position regarding the processing of
the application for importation of cooked chicken meat and other issues.
1.5 Following that hearing, the Committee provided a copy of the Hansard
hearing to a number of organisations, industry groups and individuals
involved in the poultry industry and particularly interested in the matters
raised by the reference.
1.6 In view of the very limited time available to the Committee for this
inquiry, it did not advertise for submissions, but placed a notice on
the Internet providing detail of the reference, together with a copy of
the Hansard of the Committee's 28 August hearing. The Committee
also informed other organisations of the Committee's hearing.
1.7 The Committee held a second hearing in Maitland, NSW on 13 September.
1.8 The Committee held a third hearing in Canberra on 30 September.
1.9 A list of witnesses who appeared at the hearings appears as Appendix 2.
Scope of the Inquiry
1.10 The Committee's approach to this inquiry is slightly different to
its normal inquiry.
1.11 The Committee recently reported to the Senate following a major
inquiry into (AQIS)(1)which, inter alia, dealt in considerable
detail with the risk assessment process followed by AQIS. (See Chapter
6 of that report) In addition, during that inquiry, the Committee heard
considerable evidence on the application of the AQIS approach to assessment
of importation of proposed cooked chicken meat. (See Chapters 7 &
8 of that Report). These chapters are appended in full in Appendix 3.
1.12 The Government has not responded to this report to date.
1.13 The Committee drew on up-to-date material from AQIS, from the poultry
industry, from the union movement and from other interested groups and
individuals.
1.14 In addition, the establishment by the Minister for Primary Industries
and Energy of two industry/government working parties to advise him on
issues arising from the proposed importation, have allowed the Committee
to examine the areas of most current concern to the industry and government.
1.15 In general, the evidence taken by the Committee was more detailed,
and up-to-date but essentially no different from that taken by the Committee
during its 1995 AQIS inquiry.
1.16 The Committee has not undertaken any evaluation of the scientific
basis of AQIS assessments, except where it is clear there is some genuine
conflict or disagreement between AQIS and industry as to techniques of
analysis or testing.
1.17 The Committee to emphasises that it does not have scientific expertise,
and has not sought any assistance with this inquiry from any independent
consultant with scientific expertise.
Acknowledgments
1.18 The Committee expresses its appreciation to Mr Paul Hickey, the
Executive Director of AQIS, and to other AQIS officers who have assisted
the Committee's inquiry.
1.19 The Committee also thanks officers of DPIE, DFAT, ANZFA and ANCA
for their assistance.
1.20 In particular, the Committee also thanks representatives of the
peak poultry industry representatives, their technical advisers for their
evidence and follow-up information, and individual chicken growers for
their contribution to the Committee's open forum hearing in Maitland,
NSW.
Chapter 2
ENDNOTES
- Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation
Committee, ' Report on the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service'.
Canberra, May, 1996.