OZschwitz: Travelers to pay for statist's new quarantine scam

INTERNATIONAL travellers are likely to foot a multimillion-dollar bill for a revamp of the quarantine system, with a review commissioned by the Federal Government recommending an increase in departure tax.

The review was ordered after last year's costly outbreak of equine influenza and has recommended abolishing the existing inspection system and replacing it with a national regime.

It found that although the system is "far from broken, it is also far from perfect".

Australia's biosecurity was being threatened by modern challenges such as increases in the numbers of people travelling overseas, the possibility of agri-terrorism, the intensification of agriculture and climate change, the report said.

The report, compiled by the former head of the Department of Environment, Roger Beale, was released a week before Australia regains its international status as equine influenza free.

The Government accepted all 84 recommendations, including the creation of a new biosecurity organisation that would subsume the functions of the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service, Biosecurity Australia and parts of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

The report estimates the upgrade would cost $260 million a year and suggests it should largely be funded by an increase in the passenger movement charge.

The Government said it would consider the funding proposal as part of the budget process.

The passenger movement charge is paid by all people leaving the country by sea or air and has already been increased once this year. The Government increased the fee by $9 in July - from $38 to $47 - to cover the growing cost of aviation security.

The Minister for Agriculture, Tony Burke, said the quarantine system was based on legislation drafted 100 years ago.

"When we first went down the path of the current Quarantine Act, the main quarantine risks … were things like typhoid … cholera and smallpox," he said.

"Today we are also looking at issues like climate change and the impact on biosecurity, we're looking at agri-terrorism, we're looking at globalisation, with a massive increase in the number of movements of people and containers across our borders."

The National Farmers' Federation welcomed the report, saying the system had not kept pace with emerging threats.

Its president, David Crombie, said: "Fundamental to our favourable international position is a beefed-up, efficient and science-based quarantine and biosecurity regime. Confidence in these systems has been rocked by the breakdown that led to the equine influenza outbreak."

The NSW Liberal senator Bill Heffernan said he would push for an inquiry into the new system to see whether it would protect Australian agriculture and exports.

The Australian Veterinary Association was pleased with the report. Its president, Mark Lawrie, said it recognised the importance of vets being involves at all stages of the quarantine process.

LNK

OZschwitz: Travelers to pay for statist's new quarantine scam

OZschwitz: Travelers to pay for statist's new quarantine scam

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