MEMBER for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall has expressed his support for the Biosecurity Bill 2015 which has passed through the NSW Parliament and will help secure the future of the Northern Tablelands’ primary industries sector.
Mr Marshall said the state’s world-class biosecurity protections and paddock-to-plate food safety systems provide our local agriculture sector with an enormous competitive advantage in other markets.
“Whether it’s controlling an outbreak of highly pathogenic Avian Influenza or preventing the spread of the Hendra virus – this Bill is the modern toolkit we need to respond effectively and efficiently to manage potential risks right across the our region,” Mr Marshall said.
“This Biosecurity Bill 2015 is a single piece of legislation that is cohesive, up-to-date and easy to understand and will repeal, wholly or partially, 14 existing Acts that relate to biosecurity – some 570 years’ worth of out-of-date legislation.
“This is the important first step in the NSW Government’s biosecurity reform program, and it will continue to work with industry and other stakeholders to develop the regulations to support the Bill now that it has passed.”
The Biosecurity Bill 2015 includes:
- A general Biosecurity Duty that requires people who deal with biosecurity risks to take reasonable steps to manage them.
- Emergency powers that allow Authorised Officers to take action to respond to biosecurity threats immediately, regardless of whether it is scientifically classified or listed in a regulation.
As part of the reform, the NSW Government will establish an independently chaired Biosecurity Advisory Committee to assist with the development and implementation of this Bill and subordinate regulatory instruments.