The Hodgman Liberal Government is committed to protecting Tasmania’s growing world-class agriculture and seafood sectors by strengthening our biosecurity system.
That’s why we established Biosecurity Tasmania and it’s why we are investing an extra $4 million in the Budget for three additional detector dog teams and to upgrade infrastructure, such as laboratories and signage, on top of our additional $900,000 to strengthen biosecurity protection, which we began rolling out a year ago.
True to form, the public sector unions are acting as the de facto opposition, and the survey released today should be seen in the same context.
We note that only a little more than half of surveys were returned, while the union chose to focus on those who often were in the minority because their answers supported its negative narrative.
Interestingly, almost twice as many respondents supported the Government’s establishment of biosecurity as opposed, and only the comments of the latter were detailed in the survey’s findings.
Biosecurity Tasmania is delivering results already with the new quarantine clearance process we trialled in partnership with TT-Line almost doubling the Quarantine Risk Material seized in the past six months to May, compared to the previous 12 months.
We know change can be difficult, but the reforms we have introduced are necessary if we are to protect Tasmanian industry and Tasmanian jobs.
It is past time the unions stop their politically-motivated attacks and work constructively to ensure Biosecurity Tasmania delivers for our State.
Jeremy Rockliff, Minister for Primary Industries and Water
