Mr WOOD - 2014-03-27
Before everyone goes bananas, I want to ask about banana freckle.
Could you please give the House an update on the present state of the banana freckle eradication program? Could you say what the government’s future strategy is and what scientific work is being done to assess whether the need to eradicate was required, and if people in the rural area will be able to grow bananas again and, if so, when? Could you say whether the government has had a change of heart regarding compensation for small semi-commercial growers?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his question, which is the first sensible question we have heard from the other side this morning.
Members interjecting.
Mr TOLLNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 51: no interruption. It is very difficult to hear the answer and the minister has only just started speaking.
Madam SPEAKER: That is correct. Opposition members, if you could keep the noise level down slightly so everyone can hear the minister’s answer.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: The Northern Territory government takes the biosecurity of the Northern Territory extremely seriously. When banana freckle was detected in Cavendish bananas in the middle of last year, we immediately moved to invoke the terms of the Plant Health Act 2008. We brought the Commonwealth and other states on under the cost sharing deed, which is an arrangement between the states and the Commonwealth for sharing the cost of serious biosecurity incursions into our respective jurisdictions.
Extensive surveillance is continuing, which has resulted in the detection of a further infected premise, making the total number now 29 infected premises.
Apart from the destruction of plants at new IPs and continuing treatment of regrowth at all sites where plants have been removed, other destruction activities are currently on hold pending a decision on the revised response plan. The response plan is an evolving beast, because, while a plan is formulated and predicated on current and contemporary knowledge, as things change and progress over time, sometimes those plans have to adapt.
With the future management of this and how it has been looked at by the government, we are looking carefully, and working closely, with the National Management Group and the group charged with formulating the plans for the response to banana freckle, so we can get the best adaptive plan in place over time. At this point in time, we are continuing with the efforts to eradicate and detect new incursions of banana freckle in the Northern Territory.
The next stage will be to prepare a revised response plan, which will be submitted shortly to the national Consultative Committee on Emergency Plant Pests for discussion before progression to the National Management Group for action.
With compensation for small growers, the government’s position has not changed. Under the terms of the national deed, commercial growers may apply to the National Management Group for compensation. There is nothing in the national deed which allows for compensation to people who are not commercial; therefore, we are not looking at compensation other than what we have announced already as a replacement plant for those which have been destroyed.
Could you please give the House an update on the present state of the banana freckle eradication program? Could you say what the government’s future strategy is and what scientific work is being done to assess whether the need to eradicate was required, and if people in the rural area will be able to grow bananas again and, if so, when? Could you say whether the government has had a change of heart regarding compensation for small semi-commercial growers?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his question, which is the first sensible question we have heard from the other side this morning.
Members interjecting.
Mr TOLLNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 51: no interruption. It is very difficult to hear the answer and the minister has only just started speaking.
Madam SPEAKER: That is correct. Opposition members, if you could keep the noise level down slightly so everyone can hear the minister’s answer.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: The Northern Territory government takes the biosecurity of the Northern Territory extremely seriously. When banana freckle was detected in Cavendish bananas in the middle of last year, we immediately moved to invoke the terms of the Plant Health Act 2008. We brought the Commonwealth and other states on under the cost sharing deed, which is an arrangement between the states and the Commonwealth for sharing the cost of serious biosecurity incursions into our respective jurisdictions.
Extensive surveillance is continuing, which has resulted in the detection of a further infected premise, making the total number now 29 infected premises.
Apart from the destruction of plants at new IPs and continuing treatment of regrowth at all sites where plants have been removed, other destruction activities are currently on hold pending a decision on the revised response plan. The response plan is an evolving beast, because, while a plan is formulated and predicated on current and contemporary knowledge, as things change and progress over time, sometimes those plans have to adapt.
With the future management of this and how it has been looked at by the government, we are looking carefully, and working closely, with the National Management Group and the group charged with formulating the plans for the response to banana freckle, so we can get the best adaptive plan in place over time. At this point in time, we are continuing with the efforts to eradicate and detect new incursions of banana freckle in the Northern Territory.
The next stage will be to prepare a revised response plan, which will be submitted shortly to the national Consultative Committee on Emergency Plant Pests for discussion before progression to the National Management Group for action.
With compensation for small growers, the government’s position has not changed. Under the terms of the national deed, commercial growers may apply to the National Management Group for compensation. There is nothing in the national deed which allows for compensation to people who are not commercial; therefore, we are not looking at compensation other than what we have announced already as a replacement plant for those which have been destroyed.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016