Interview with Ashleigh Gillon, News24 Politics Now

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TV INTERVIEW
NEWS24, POLITICS NOW 
THURSDAY, 05 NOVEMBER 2026

SUBJECTS: Trade with China, H5 bird flu, pests and weeds

ASHLEIGH GILLON, HOST: China is already Australia's biggest export partner, representing $20 billion in value last financial year. Joining us live from Shanghai is the Agriculture Minister, Julie Collins, who's in China for discussions around expanding this partnership further. Minister, really appreciate your time. Thank you so much. No doubt beef exporters in particular always watch any China trips very closely. We know that our beef exporters have been really struggling with that 55 per cent tariff. Have you got any positive news for us on that front?

JULIE COLLINS, MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FORESTRY: Well, we're over here talking a range of issues for Australian exporters. Certainly, as Agriculture Minister, we are talking about Australian grain, we're talking about Australian beef, we're talking about a whole range of Australian products. I'm also going to open Australia's exhibition at China's International Importers Expo, which is one of the world's largest expos in terms of trade. So, I'm looking forward to doing that tomorrow on Australia's behalf. And I'm getting to meet with a lot of Australian and a lot of Chinese companies over here that rely on great Australian produce, because Australia has a great reputation for having safe, reliable supply chains in terms of the great Australian produce that our farmers are producing each and every day that the world wants.

GILLON: Minister, I'm sure even over there in Shanghai, the continuing bird flu is no doubt occupying a whole lot of your time. Yesterday, the Biodiversity Council called for your government to be more transparent about the extent of wildlife deaths we're seeing from bird flu. The Council's pointing out that the government's only reporting bird flu events and that one event could range from being a single death or thousands in one location. It's obviously very difficult to give exact numbers. But why isn't the government providing better estimates of mortality so we can get a better picture of just how devastating the toll is so far?

COLLINS: Well, what we've been doing in relation to bird flu, as you're aware, Ash has been making sure that Australia is as prepared as we possibly can be for its arrival. And we have certainly done that. And what we're successfully doing is actually tracking its movements across Australia, which is important for people on the ground, whether they've been involved in wildlife caring or whether they be involved in our agriculture industry to make sure that we know where it is in Australia. And that's what the reporting is about. And our reporting and all of our response has always been based on technical expert advice. And our technical experts have told us that this is the best way to track the virus going across the country, which is why we are doing it in this manner. And each state and territory, of course, is responsible for the response on the ground. And they are also doing it in a similar way to the federal government.

GILLON: Without the estimates, though, the council is saying that it's impossible to know whether your efforts from the government to protect native animals have actually been sufficient or not. Do we have an estimate of the wildlife tolls so far that you can share with us?

COLLINS: Well, certainly we have been very upfront when it comes to wildlife outside of birds. We've been very upfront in terms of the mammals and the numbers and we've been very clear and states have reported when they are large events, that they are large events rather than individual birds. And we were very clear when the reporting changed about why it has changed. And it's important to listen to the technical experts and the advice that we are receiving. The best way to track this as it moves across the country.

GILLON: Well, still on transparency, I wanted to ask you about a report in the Australian a couple of days ago. It's suggesting that a landmark national report exposing failings in the fight against feral pests has actually been suppressed. The Invasive Species Council quoted in this article in The Australian saying that government sources had told them that it's not a coincidence that that report card had been suppressed ahead of elections in New South Wales and Victoria. Is there any truth to that?

COLLINS: Well, let me be very clear, Ash. I have not seen the actual report that is being referred to. It's certainly never come to me and has never been on my desk. It's actually a report prepared by state and territory officials because states and territories are responsible on the ground for pest management. And I understand that the committee that has developed this report card have actually met as a committee and decided that the initial report is actually a draft and that they need to do more work. And that's the advice I have been provided in relation to it.

GILLON: Okay, we'll look forward to seeing the full report when it comes out. Minister, thanks very much for joining us live there from Shanghai.

COLLINS: Thanks very much, Ash.