Interview with Kieran Glibert, Sky News

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TELEVISION INTERVIEW
SKY NEWS AFTERNOON AGENDA
THURSDAY, 9 AUGUST 2022 

SUBJECTS: National Biosecurity Strategy, ag visa, live sheep exports, emergency management and recovery

KIERAN GILBERT: Australia's Agriculture Minister has held a National Press Club address today launching the new national biosecurity strategy, as well as additional support for Indonesia to help combat foot and mouth disease. 

The Minister, Murray Watt, joins me live in the studio. Thanks so much for your time. What is the latest when it comes to FMD as it's known and in terms of the threat, has it eased at all? 

MURRAY WATT: I wouldn't say that, Kieran, and thanks for having me on. The experts in our biosecurity team have assessed the risk of a foot and mouth disease outbreak in Australia at 11.6 per cent over the next five years. That's up from where it was about 12 months ago which was nine per cent. So I guess the point about that is that we have had this risk for some time. 

Obviously with it spreading to Indonesia that risk has gone up and that's why we're doing so much to strengthen our measures here at home and also providing more support to Indonesia. But I'm sure you've seen the reports and I've seen them as well, that Indonesia seems to be getting on top of this. The infection numbers in terms of the daily numbers seem to be falling. It seems that they've got it completely under control, or well under control in the key provinces like Bali. So that's obviously very encouraging news, and we've made very clear that we're keen to keep working with them in any way we possibly can. 

KIERAN GILBERT: And on this new strategy you've released today, when you gave that address at the Press Club you spoke about the risks we're facing as being closer and more threatening than ever before. Why is that? 

MURRAY WATT: Yeah, I mean I think even in the short time that I've been the Minister, Kieran, you can see there's a number of different threats, whether it be foot and mouth, lumpy skin disease, there's diseases involving our crops and plants as well which are on the horizon. 

Basically there's a few different reasons for it. Part of it undoubtedly is climate change. The change in climate around us and in our region is bringing different pests closer to us than what it has before. The changes in people's trade and travel patterns. You know, some people say that the increase in online mail and online parcel deliveries is bringing more pests closer to us as well. 

The change in land use, you know, clearing of trees, things like that. There's a whole range of things that are happening in our country and overseas that are heightening that risk and that's why it's so important that we've been able to cooperate with the States and Territories and industry to get Australia's first ever national biosecurity strategy. 

KIERAN GILBERT: And you make the argument this is about aligning all of the layers of government along with industry, and it is an asset, isn't it, our biosecurity system that has stood us in good stead for decades? 

MURRAY WATT: Absolutely, it's a critical national asset and it's something that we don't often think about because a lot of the work is kind of hidden and behind the scenes. 

KIERAN GILBERT: So how does this alignment work in the strategy? 

MURRAY WATT: Well basically what we've done is through working with the States and Territories and industry try to identify best practice, whether it be border management or how you contain outbreaks if they actually occur in the country, what we can be doing about using better technology to detect potential problems and then reduce them. So really as I say what it's about is trying to align the work that the Federal Government does along with the States and Territories because we all have a responsibility here. 

KIERAN GILBERT: And something that I've picked up certainly from within the public service but from other ministers as well has been a hollowing of the public service over years. What is the Ag Department like in terms of its capacity right now, is it up to the job? 

MURRAY WATT: Yeah, my experience with the Ag Department has been very positive in terms of biosecurity. I mean I wouldn't trade the kind of people who are providing me with advice on this with anyone, and they're some of the best biosecurity experts in the world. 

Australia's Chief Vet has recently been the head of the World Animal Organisation which looks at biosecurity issues. So I guess that's the gold medal when it comes to animal diseases around the world. So I think the hollowing out of the public service has been a problem across the board and my Department isn't immune to that, but I certainly couldn't fault the advice that I'm receiving.

KIERAN GILBERT: One of the issues that you've had to deal with is the ag visa. You don't support it.  You will honour the memorandum of understanding as I understand it with Vietnam but not further than that. Now you want to boost the Pacific Labour Program. Will that be enough for farmers, for the ag sector to plug those labour holes? 

MURRAY WATT: Yeah, we think that Pacific, expanding the Pacific Labour Scheme and strengthening it in the way we took to the election will make a big dint in the shortage of agricultural workers we have in Australia at the moment. We should never give up on the idea of training more Australians for these jobs as well, and many jobs in agriculture these days are quite highly skilled jobs and there'd be lots of Australians I think who'd take them up if they could access the right training. So some of our commitments around TAFE places, university places, will help there as well. But I've made very clear to both industry and to unions in the conversations that I've had that if that commitment around the Pacific Labour Scheme is not enough and we do require more workers, then I'm open to ideas. There are a range of other visa schemes under way at the moment that [indistinct] use. 

KIERAN GILBERT: With other countries in the region? 

MURRAY WATT: Yes, the general visa programs that we have can be accessed by farmers to bring in workers from overseas.  But as I say, if there are other ideas that people have, I think we should have the discussion. I think the key thing you'll find from our Government which is different is that we will really foster that kind of cooperation. I think - 

KIERAN GILBERT: So,what was your problem then if you're open to having those discussions, what was your issue with the ag visa itself? 

MURRAY WATT: A couple of issues. For starters we had real concerns about the level of protections against worker exploitation that were being proposed and we felt that they were quite a bit weaker than what exists under the Pacific Labour Program. But also one of the real values of the Pacific Labour Scheme is not even just about the workers it can produce for farms, which is important, it's also the diplomatic benefits that Australia gets. You've seen our Government really step up its approach in the Pacific, for obvious reasons, and the Pacific Labour Scheme is another really important way of strengthening those ties between our country and the countries of the Pacific. 

KIERAN GILBERT: I know that you've said, and you've told me previously, that in terms of ending the live sheep export industry that you'll do that over a number of years. Will you look to compensate affected farms and businesses as well? 

MURRAY WATT: That's something that has yet to be considered but I'd be surprised if some form of compensation or industry adjustment support didn't come of this. You're right, Kieran, we have made clear that we want to do this in an orderly fashion.  We're not intending to do it just in this term of government, because it does have impacts on industry and farmers, and we want to get this right. 

So I've already been over to Perth quite early in the term to meet with affected farmers and industry groups, and those discussions are going on. I actually think that there are some opportunities here though as well, particularly around extra meat processing. The meat processors who I met with in Perth think that there is more opportunity for more onshore meat processing, which means jobs in our regions. But they were also very clear that we really have to come up with some workforce solutions as well. 

KIERAN GILBERT: On the other area of your responsibility, emergency management, I know today was all about biosecurity but recently last few days it's been revealed that the northern rivers floods, the recovery is going to cost $3 billion is the estimate we're hearing, and that Resilience New South Wales is going to be scrapped as an organisation. Will the Federal Government step in to assist New South Wales in terms of that repair bill? 

MURRAY WATT: Well I've certainly seen those reports. We haven't yet been briefed by the New South Wales Government about the findings of their flood inquiry report and we certainly look forward to seeing some of that detail and having those discussions with them. 

But I think it's fair to say that there's going to need to be a significant investment by both Federal and State Government in rebuilding the Northern Rivers. The damage there has been huge. It will take years to recover so we're very happy to have those ‑ I mean you would have seen we've been cooperating very well with the New South Wales Government to date in terms of flood support and I'd expect that to continue. 

KIERAN GILBERT: People familiar with Resilience New South Wales have told me that that command-and-control sort of approach is not the way to deal with humanitarian crises, that you need a community‑based approach. Does that resonate with you? 

MURRAY WATT: Yeah. Again, I haven't had the benefit of seeing the inquiry report which really gets into the detail of that but certainly from my own experiences in and around Lismore you could see that there was something missing, both in the early response and then the recover as well. So I think this is a really good opportunity for New South Wales to strengthen its disaster management roles. 

KIERAN GILBERT: Minister Murray Watt, thanks.  Appreciate your time. 

MURRAY WATT: Good to see you, Kieran.