Submission to the Biosecurity Levy Steering Committee – April 18 2019

The Australian Chamber welcomes this opportunity to provide input to the Biosecurity Levy Steering Committee’s deliberations.

Biosecurity is a vital component of Australia’s trade and economic wellbeing, protecting over $60 billion worth of agricultural production nationally, underpinning Australia’s inbound tourism industry worth over $38 billion and protecting our environment from pest and disease incursions.

The Australian Chamber is supportive of an efficient and effective biosecurity system for Australia. We refer to the work of Dr Wendy Craik and her team in the 2017 independent review of the capacity of Australia’s biosecurity system and the underpinning Intergovernmental Agreement on Biosecurity (IGAB). Dr Craik released the Priorities for Australia’s Biosecurity System report 2017 (Craik Report) containing 42 recommendations for improving and bolstering Australia’s biosecurity system, in partnership with industry.

The World Bank Ease of Doing Business Reports lists Australia as having the most expensive export and import border compliance among OECD high income economies, scoring last in the grouping across 2016, 2017, and 2018.1

The announcement of the Biosecurity Levy during the 2018-19 Federal Budget represents a lone aspect of the recommendations in the Craik Report, and appears worryingly lacking in purpose and design, in contrast to the recommendations set out in the Craik Report.

The Australian Chamber has concerns relating to the implementation of the proposed Biosecurity Levy, outlined in the attached submission.