Tasmanian Government Media Release - 11 June 2008
The Tasmanian Government sees our future prosperity as being intimately linked with the perception that Tasmania is different and special, a natural place of quality produce, products and services largely unspoilt by the ravages suffered elsewhere. This image depends in part on effectively using Bass Strait to maintain an adventageous status with regard to pests, disease and weeds. This is why the Tasmanian Government has invested so heavily in developing Tasmania's biosecurity system.
The State Government's submission to the Beale Review is considering a wide range of Australian quarantine processes to improve the system. This should be done through recently created national institutional structures, and the result of this work could be usefully captured in a revised Memorandum of Understanding of quarantine between the states and the Commonwealth.
Tasmania's appropriate level of protection (ALOP) is the same as that of Australia as a whole - we accept only very low levels of risk. We do, however, apply a rigorous approach to our risk assessments, and the Government will continue to argue our situation with the commonwealth on a case-by-case basis, if Tasmania is not happy with Commonwealth assessments.
The position is consistent with World Trade Organisation requirements and the Sanitary Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement, as is the Tasmanian Government's biosecurity policy.
