January 31, 2018
The Invasive Species Council (ISC) is calling on the Federal Government to introduce a levy on sea and air cargo to pay for an environmental biosecurity fighting fund.
Its Protect Australia campaign is asking concerned Australians to send a letter to Agriculture Minister David Littleproud.
The ISC says that since 2000, at least 48 potentially dangerous invasive species have evaded Australia’s border controls, including fire ants, eucalypt-destroying myrtle rust, the Asian black-spined toad, the red-eared slider turtle and Panama disease.
The cost of tackling these threats has been enormous.
Horse flu cost $332 million to eradicate and action against fire ants has already cost $350 million, with a further $411 million to be spent over the next 10 years.
It has been estimated that a large-scale outbreak of foot and mouth disease could cost Australia as much as $50 billion.
“Globalisation, migration, climate change, growing tourism and freight all escalate the risks of dangerous new species making it to Australia,” ISC Chief Executive Officer Andrew Cox said.
“The number of cargo arrivals alone is forecast to increase more than 70 per cent by 2025, but biosecurity funding is not keeping pace with these rapid global changes.”
The ISC says the federal, state and territory governments are currently considering changes recommended in a comprehensive review of Australia’s national biosecurity system.
“The review has made many recommendations that would keep out real environmental threats, but we are asking the federal government, as the lead government, to adopt new measures that will bolster our environmental biosecurity defences,” Mr Cox said.
The ISC’s Protect Australia campaign believes a new levy on sea and air cargo would raise enough funds to meet national biosecurity goals.
“If adopted, these changes would end the game of Russian roulette we take part in every time a new ship or plane enters our country and secure our borders from dangerous new invaders,” Mr Cox said.
The ISC’s website has a prepared email letter that can be sent to Mr Littleproud.
