[Greens-Media] MEDIA RELEASE - SENATOR MILNE - Greens call for government action on biosecurity risk

[Willis, Katrina (Sen C. Milne)]

MEDIA RELEASE

Wednesday, 13 September 2006

Greens call for government action on biosecurity risk

The federal government needs to explain why it has put Australia's
biosecurity at risk, the Australian Greens said today.

Greens science spokesperson Senator Christine Milne said the government
refused to back a move in the Senate just last week to examine the
effectiveness of current quarantine administration arrangements.

"Australia needs to develop a bio-intelligence service so that
quarantine officials can be proactive rather than reactive," Senator
Milne said in Canberra.

"With climate change and global trade we need to be able to forecast
what impacts disease outbreaks in the rest of the world might have on
Australia.
		 
"The federal government needs to take heed of the warning today by
former chief of CSIRO entomology, Professor Max Whitten, that there is a
looming crisis developing because of insufficient trained staff and the
short-term focus of government and universities.

"Agriculture Minister Peter McGauran needs to explain why the government
has failed to prevent the problem and what it intends to do about it
now.

"Australia cannot afford to be so ill-prepared for biosecurity threats.
We have already had major economic and environmental problems arising
from the Citrus Canker outbreak in Queensland and with temperature rises
from global warming we face a wider range of threats from alien invasive
species including pathogens."

Contact: Katrina Willis 03 6234 4566 or 0437 587 562


Katrina Willis
Adviser
Senator Christine Milne
Phone 03 6234 4566
Fax 03 6234 2144
Mobile 0437 587 562
www.christinemilne.org.au