17 December 2018

Jacquie Petrusma, Acting Minister for Primary Industries and Water

Dangerous fearmongering from Labor

Shane Broad is once again engaging in reckless fearmongering on fruit fly and risking Tasmania’s reputation with our trading partners in the process.

The facts are:

• Our biosecurity system and protocols are working - it was a monitoring trap on Flinders Island that captured the one adult fruit fly that has been detected.
• There is nothing sinister about timing - As DPIPWE has indicated they immediately activated their response plan notifying stakeholders in line with established protocols.
• Biosecurity Tasmania is better prepared than ever to protect our valuable fruit industry, with $17 million committed to eradicate fruit fly, support affected fruit growers, and strengthen our biosecurity for the future.
• The Government has invested in more inspectors at the border and additional staff in fruit fly, industry collaboration and risk planning roles, plus additional officers on King and Flinders Island.
• There are now more stringent checks of produce at the border along with enhanced treatment protocols and certification arrangements following a national fruit fly review.
• This detection does not affect growers or the community on mainland Tasmania where Control Area restrictions are still due to be lifted on 9 January 2019.

With these positive actions and the ongoing support and vigilance of the community, we remain confident that we can eradicate fruit fly. Scaremongering by Labor is not helpful and should be seen for what it is - politically motivated point scoring.

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