Queensland Agriculture Minister Leanne Donaldson is likely to draw the wrath of the LNP after today lashing out at the opposition over its plan for biosecurity.
Ms Donaldson said the LNP took “a wrecking ball to Queensland’s biosecurity response capability” while they were in government.
“It had no vision to protect our producers from diseases, feral pests and invasive weeds,” she said.
“Instead of building the state’s capability to deal with these threats it closed facilities, shut-down programs and dismissed 26 per cent of Biosecurity Queensland’s staff.
“The results of their irresponsible and destructive period in office were horrific.
“In Townsville the LNP closed the biosecurity lab and scrapped Labor’s plan to build a new facility in collaboration with James Cook University.
Ms Donaldson said her government had given an election commitment to review Queensland’s biosecurity capability “from top to bottom”.
“We appointed an independent panel of experts to conduct that review and we are committed to work through its recommendations,” she said.
“The Shadow Minister clearly can’t grasp that good governance is about taking expert advice and opinion and acting on it in step with industry expectations.
“The Biosecurity Capability Review does not recommend re-establishment of a lab in North Queensland. That is not my opinion, but the opinion of independent experts whose recommendations were free of government influence.
“A consultation and implementation process on those recommendations is now under way and I am open to further discussions with industry because it is vitally important for the future of Queensland agriculture to make the right decisions on the way forward.
“This is not, as he describes it, a back-flip.
“If the Shadow Minister for Agriculture has an alternative plan for biosecurity in Queensland he should have the gumption to publish it rather than sitting on the sidelines taking ill-informed and ever more desperate pot-shots.
“Mr Last has already embarrassed himself with comments on Johne’s Disease management that are clueless.
“What he fails to understand is that there has been extensive consultation with industry on Johne’s Disease with, among others, AgForce, Cattle Council Australia, Australian Veterinary Association, Australian Cattle Vets Association, Australian Brahman Breeders Association, Australian Charolais Association, BJD Action Coalition, Animal Health Australia, Queensland Dairyfarmers' Organisation, Australian Registered Cattle Breeders Association and the Livestock Biosecurity Network
"There is broad industry support for our approach.
“If he picked up the phone to talk to AgForce he would know they support the progressive change because the ‘impact of quarantining people far outweighs the impact of the disease’.”
Minister Donaldson said she had today written to Mr Last to offer him access to departmental briefings so he could understand issues in his new shadow portfolio.
