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THE PRICE OF FREE TRADE AND A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT IS ETERNAL VIGILANCE
13 December 1996

• Australian quarantine at the crossroads
  (Media release: 1 April 1996)
  
• The Academy's submission to the review of AQIS
  (March 1996)

The President of the Academy, Professor Sir Gustav Nossal, has warned that the recommendations of the recent Nairn Report on Australian Quarantine - a shared responsibility could be in vain unless significant resources, both financial and human, are devoted to its implementation.

'As in most defensive operations, the effort has to be made before the threat is apparent', said Sir Gustav. 'Once foreign pests, either plant or animal, have breached Australia's quarantine defences it will be too late. The recommendations of the Nairn review will require significantly increased expenditure on quarantine - to establish a statutory authority, a plant health council and a plant health quarantine facility - and an increase in the number of scientists to guide and implement the quarantine measures'

The Academy believes the Nairn report's estimates to be very conservative and we request that urgent attention be paid to this in the forthcoming budget.

'We encourage the Government to address the impact of the severe decline in the number of taxonomists and the availability of courses in taxonomy. Taxonomists are the scientists whose expertise provides the nation with vital data on the identification, description and distribution of flora and fauna. Speedy identification can be crucial in arresting inadvertent incursions of serious pest species.'

In general, the Academy welcomed the Nairn report, which took up many of the recommendations made by the Academy, particularly the importance of protecting Australia's natural environment. 'I urge the government to implement fully the recommendations' said Sir Gustav.

'We should help our neighbouring countries with potential quarantine problems that may threaten us. Overseas aid can be an effective way to achieve this through training and education programs.'

'In general, I am encouraged that the Nairn report recognizes the need for much more use of, and support for scientific expertise, in State Governments, CSIRO museums and universities and the involvement of the whole community in quarantine awareness.'

'Although trade is vital to Australia, quarantine services should not be compromised. The trend towards free trade places many additional pressures on maintaining our quarantine standards, but if these are weakened through international pressures and short-term savings measures, we will no longer have an international reputation as a 'clean country'. We must balance short term economic considerations affecting trade and export markets with the longer term interests of sustainable agriculture, human health and environmental protection.'