New Biosecurity Legislation to advance SA passes Parliament

Contemporary legislation to strengthen protections for South Australia’s $18.5 billion primary industries, the environment and the community from pests, diseases and other biosecurity threats has passed both houses of State Parliament.

As part of the Malinauskas Government’s legislative reform agenda, the Biosecurity Bill 2024 adopts a modern legislative approach to preventing, eliminating and controlling biosecurity risks.

The new legislation consolidates existing Acts including the Plant Health Act 2009, Livestock Act 1997, Dog Fence Act 1946 and Impounding Act 1920, which will help improve consistency across animal, plant and environmental biosecurity management and provide a flexible framework to deal with emerging and ongoing biosecurity challenges. It also makes related amendments to the Fisheries Management Act 2007 and Phylloxera and Grape Industry Act 1995.

Importantly, the Bill features the concept of shared responsibility for biosecurity across industry, government and the community. Everyone will have a general biosecurity duty to take reasonable measures to prevent, eliminate, minimise, control or manage biosecurity risks, recognising everyone has a role to play in protecting our state.

Significantly for the livestock industry, the Bill formalises into legislation the State Government’s long-term commitment to match prescribed industry contributions that support the Dog Fence Board’s management and maintenance of the 2,150-kilometre South Australian section of the Dog Fence.

Biosecurity is a key enabler of market access, providing for the safe supply of agricultural, fisheries and forestry products to local, interstate, and overseas markets. This includes the use of traceability systems to verify the health status of such goods, their point of origin and their movement through the supply chain.

There are also vital environmental and social benefits in protecting our unique flora and fauna, natural environments, culture and public amenity from a wide range of biosecurity threats.

The need for robust biosecurity legislation has been highlighted by recent biosecurity incidents in South Australia and interstate, including the detection and management of Abalone Viral Ganglioneuritis in the South East, the ongoing fight against fruit fly, the recent detection of Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus in the Northern Adelaide Plains, and the presence of Avian Influenza and Varroa Mite interstate.

The Bill is the result of extensive development and in-depth consultation over the past five years with feedback from stakeholders and the public carefully considered and incorporated.

Quotes

Attributable to Clare Scriven

The passing of the new biosecurity legislation is a significant milestone in strengthening the protections for our state’s $18.5 billion primary industries and agribusinesses against existing and emerging biosecurity challenges.

Biosecurity regulatory reform has been occurring around the country and these changes provide South Australia with a contemporary legislative framework to ensure we remain a strong link in the national system.

I thank all of those who have worked so hard to deliver this important biosecurity reform for South Australia and look forward to continuing this work as we turn to the development of regulations and policies to enable commencement of the Act.