Speech at the Royal Queensland Show (the Ekka), Brisbane

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
DOORSTOP INTERVIEW
BRISBANE
SUNDAY, 7 AUGUST 2022

TOPICS: The Ekka; showcasing Australia's best produce; foot and mouth disease taskforce; 2032 Queensland Olympics; COVID masks; loss of Judith Durham; the Seekers.
 
MARK FURNER, QUEENSLAND MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT AND FISHERIES: Can I say what pleasure is to be here at the Ekka after three long years, and two missing out on those shows, we're back, bigger, brighter and better. So I want to encourage everyone to come out to Ekka today, on this Sunday - it finishes next Saturday so make sure you come along. And when you're here, have a look at the animals, talk to the farmers, catch up with them, see why we're known all around the world as providers of the best fresh, green produce nationally and internationally. We've got plenty on offer here. So turn up, have a good time, bring the family, bring the children and have a great day. I'll hand over to Murray.

MURRAY WATT, FEDERAL MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FORESTRY: All good? Well, thanks very much, Mark. It's terrific to be with Mark Furner, my great mate, the Queensland Agriculture Minister, as the new federal Agriculture Minister for Australia. The Ekka is an institution, as all of you know. I've been coming here since I was a kid, bringing my kids here as well. And it's such an important opportunity for the city to meet the country and the country to meet the city. It's a really important occasion for us to bring all Queenslanders together, whether they live in inner city Brisbane or out west, or up north. It's the chance for everyone to understand where each other comes from, what we all do, and the importance of our agriculture industry right here in Queensland. It's obviously a particularly significant Ekka at the moment, because it's been more than 1000 days since we've all been able to celebrate this. I know I'm looking forward to bringing back my daughter on People's Day on Wednesday, and she's already been looking at what showbag she's going to be making me buy for her, while making sure that we drop by and see a few of the animals as well.

I think this Ekka is particularly significant, obviously for the fact that it's the first one in a while, but it's also happening at a time when there is a lot of uncertainty around about agriculture, world prices, energy prices, the impact on agriculture, and of course, biosecurity. And you will have seen in recent days and recent weeks, the Albanese Government has been making a range of more measures to make sure that we stay foot and mouth disease free. It's really important to remember that for all the talk about this, and all of the concern - a lot of which is understandable - Australia does remain foot and mouth disease free. And we have every intention of keeping it that way. That's why the Government has put in a three-pronged response with tough new measures at home, support abroad particularly for Indonesia, and just this week announcing the third prong to our approach, which is about putting in place a preparedness taskforce to bring together all the arms of federal government in biosecurity, in crisis management, in emergency management, the army, Border Force to make sure that if the worst were to happen, and we had an outbreak here in Australia, that we would be thoroughly prepared. People can have confidence that between the federal government, the states and territories, we have very well-developed plans to deal with any biosecurity outbreak, whether it be foot and mouth disease or anything else. But it's always best to have - prevention is better than cure. And that's why we've made sure that we've established this taskforce to run the ruler over all of our plans, make sure that we are thoroughly prepared as a country, if we were to see an outbreak happen here.

But really, today's more about just having fun. It is so terrific for everyone to be able to come back to the Ekka, as I say whether they be from the bush or from Brisbane. It's a really important meeting place. It's a really important place for us to showcase our incredible quality agricultural products, whether they be animals, plants, or made products like jams and scones and things like that. It's a great celebration. And it's really good that we can all get back together again and celebrate. Happy to take any questions and I'm sure Mark is too.

JOURNALIST: Minister, you said 'worst of the worst' if foot and mouth were to outbreak. What would that look like?

WATT: Yeah, well, it's important to remember that while we do have a risk of having a foot and mouth disease outbreak in Australia, as we do with lumpy skin and other diseases as well, the risk is still quite low. So our experts have assessed the risk of Australia having a foot and mouth disease outbreak at about 11.6 per cent over the next five years. Lumpy skin is a higher risk, being 28 per cent. And that's why it is important that we be prepared now, to make sure that if the worst does happen, we are thoroughly prepared. Basically, if we were to have an outbreak, the first step would be to declare a national livestock standstill for 72 hours to make sure that any infected livestock were not able to travel to other parts of the country, to try to contain that virus. And then there would be urgent discussions about what more we should do next. That might include longer term movement controls, it might include vaccination programs, it might include culling. So those plans have been very well thought through, very well-developed over recent years by some of the leading biosecurity experts in the country but the point of this preparedness taskforce is to, as I say, bring together the different arms of federal government to make sure that everyone is working together, to make sure that everyone understands their roles and responsibilities to contain any outbreak should it occur.

JOURNALIST: [inaudible]

WATT: Yeah well, again, that is another matter which is going to be looked at by our preparedness taskforce, because as I say, while there's been a lot of publicity about foot and mouth disease - and understandably, because it would be devastating, if it got in here - lumpy skin disease is also a very serious disease, which would particularly affect our cattle industry. So the preparedness taskforce that we've got in place will be examining our response plans should an outbreak of that occur. We are already are providing vaccines to Indonesia, and we will be continuing to do that soon for Timor Leste and Papua New Guinea, because the risk of lumpy skin is that it would be potentially brought here by the wind. It's a mosquito-borne virus, and what would happen is that if- we've already seen that outbreak start in Indonesia, and if the winds were to blow mosquitoes from Indonesia, to Timor Leste to Papua New Guinea, and then potentially into northern Australia, that would be a serious risk for our cattle industry. So providing those vaccines and other technical support to other countries is actually in our national interest, just as it's in the interest of those countries to help them get it under control.

JOURNALIST: [inaudible]

WATT: Yeah look, I support any measure that can be put in place to both reduce the risk of foot and mouth disease spreading, but also to inform the public about what they can do to help us keep this outbreak away. And if it were to get here, keep it under control. Biosecurity is a shared responsibility. I've absolutely got obligations as the federal minister and that's why we've been ramping up our measures at the borders, including foot mats at airports, more biosecurity officers, we're now screening every single mail package that comes in from Indonesia to check for meat products that might be coming in that might contain viral fragments. But it's very important as well that the states and territories do their bit, and I know Mark and his colleagues are. And also it's really important that the public do their bit. That's why we've been asking people when they're coming back from Bali, thoroughly clean your shoes or preferably leave them behind. And also understand the warning signs, we're getting information out to farmers, so that they know what to look out for, particularly blistering of animals is a ready sign. But things like foot mats here at the Ekka, they will make a difference, but importantly, they really educate people about what we can all do to keep ourselves disease free.

JOURNALIST: If we find an outbreak [inaudible] what would that look like?

WATT: Well, if there were to be an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Australia that would be devastating to our livestock industry. The cost of that has been estimated at $80 billion over a decade. And while lumpy skin disease isn't quite of the same magnitude, you're still looking at several billions of dollars of impact. And that's because if foot and mouth disease were to enter Australia, or lumpy skin disease, our exports of those products would shut down overnight, and it would take some time to come under control. So again, that's why it's in all of our interests to do what needs to be done, to take this seriously, to act calmly and in a considered fashion based on biosecurity advice, to put measures in at the borders, to screen mail products, but also as members of the public to do the right thing.

JOURNALIST: One for Minister Furner? Just on the Olympics, Richard Colbeck says that your government has wasted time and squandered a year in terms of 2032, I mean, what are your thoughts, do you think your government's wasted time?

FURNER: One of the main reasons why we won the Olympic and the Paralympic Games for 2032 was because we've worked together with all levels of government, that continues. In fact, with the new election of a federal government, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, we are better place to move forward in terms of making sure this is the best and brightest games we'll ever see. Recently, we announced $100 million in terms of developing and increasing our sport engagement in several schools right throughout the state. So that's the next generation of sporting students coming through for those Games. So I'm not going to take much notice of what a disgruntled senator is saying about one of the most spectacular Games we'll see in the next decade.

JOURNALIST: [inaudible]

FURNER: Sorry, I can't hear you.

JOURNALIST: Just on what's happened out at Bogie, for that tragedy to have stemmed from an alleged boundary dispute...as ag minister, what's your take on on that? How unusual that is.

FURNER: On a dispute between?

JOURNALIST: The shooting out at Bogie-

FURNER: Oh.

JOURNALIST: It's believed that it stemmed from an alleged boundaries dispute. How rare is that, how unusual, and how tragic is that?

FURNER: That sort of incident, that criminal incident is very rare on farming properties. I've never heard that, certainly in my period as the Minister for Agriculture. Our hearts go out to those families that have been impacted by that result, no doubt. But once again, that's a criminal investigation that police will be dealing with, I'd certainly be interested in the final outcome. But once again, and hearts do go out to the families of those that have been affected by that incident.

JOURNALIST: Just back on the Olympics, will there be an escalation of activity now [inaudible] I guess, some of these projects [inaudible].

FURNER: In terms of [inaudible]?

JOURNALIST: Well, yeah, [inaudible]

FURNER: Look, absolutely, we're completely focused on these Games. That's why we're working in all levels, of those that are on the committees, those that are engaged in it. There's a whole escalation of looking at Queensland produce through the purchase of [inaudible] that will assist in terms of making sure these Games are the best we've ever seen.

JOURNALIST: There's not too many masks being worn today at the Ekka, are you happy with the precautions that people are taking given [inaudible]?

FURNER: One thing we encourage people when they come to the Ekka, bring a mask with them or get them on entry, because we do encourage people to wear them indoors, or in areas where they can't socially distance. I've been indoors wearing my mask today and I'm pretty impressed with the number of people that are also wearing them so you'll see around the crowd here and people [inaudible]. So once again, bring your mask along, make sure you're protected and you'll [inaudible].

JOURNALIST: How many people do you think are wearing masks?

FURNER: Oh look, it'd be a rough figure, but from what I've seen there's a reasonable amount of people that are wearing masks here at the Ekka.

JOURNALIST: And in terms of COVID and the flu, are there anything- are there any other measures people should be taking if they're going to come here for People's Day on Wednesday?

FURNER: Well certainly if you're not feeling well, the best thing to do is stay away from here. We don't want people coming here spreading- whether it be the flu or COVID. Make sure you get tested if you're not feeling (well) and make sure you look after your friends. That's the important outcome, to keep away from the Ekka if you're feeling unwell.

JOURNALIST: And in terms of numbers, more or less than you expected?

FURNER: In terms of the Ekka numbers, it's relatively streaming through on a recent base and no doubt with the pre-ticket sales, that was the nature of protecting people who come to the Ekka but also making sure there's no super-spread as a result of the numbers and they're prepared.

JOURNALIST: [inaudible]

FURNER: I grew up listening to them by my parents, you know, they used to play it on the [inaudible] . Morningtown Ride and Georgie Girl, one of the favourites, so it is a loss and I think everyone genuinely will miss her.

WATT: Well obviously the loss of Judith Durham is a really big blow to the country, she was a national treasure. And I'm probably a little bit too young myself to have grown up with the Seekers but I certainly remember my family singing the songs, and songs like Georgie Girl were just so memorable. I remember my Mum singing them in the kitchen. I think all Australians shed a tear today for losing someone as important to us as Judith Durham. Actually, can I say one other thing - Judith Durham and the Seekers were such trailblazers for the Australian music scene. They were right up there with the Beatles and The Rolling Stones in their day. And that's a real matter of pride, I think, for all Australians, so it's a really sad loss, and I think a lot of people will be bringing out their Seekers albums and CDs today.