P.O. Box 5026 Old Toongabbie NSW 2146
[email protected] 12 August 2014 Committee Secretary Senate Standing Committees on Environment and Communications, PO Box 6100, Parliament House, Canberra ACT 2600
[email protected] Submission: INQUIRY INTO ENVIRONMENTAL BIOSECURITY Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the Environmental Biosecurity Inquiry. Introduction Australian Plants Society – New South Wales Ltd has fostered and promoted the appreciation, study and participation in growing and propagating Australian native plants since 1958. There are over 1640 members as well as 800 subscribers, 41 of whom are overseas institutions of learning. Environmental biosecurity has not received the attention enjoyed by agriculture biosecurity, yet the cost of dealing with weeds and other environmental pests becomes higher the longer they are allowed to spread, until they can no longer be eradicated. Environmental pests negatively affect our unique flora and fauna, environmental amenity and integrity, and recreation and tourism. The comprehensive report in 2007 titled ‘The Australian Weeds Strategy – A national strategy for weed management in Australia’, produced by the Australian Weeds Committee for The Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council, is an excellent report, and we strongly endorse the 3 goals set out in the report, as follows: Goal 1- Prevent new weed problems Goal 2 - Reduce the impact of existing priority weed problems Goal 3 - Enhance Australia’s capacity and commitment to solve weed problems 1 The Australian Weeds Strategy makes the following point: “Weeds are among the most significant and costly environmental threats in Australia. Of the 2700 species of introduced plants now established [in 2007], 429 have been declared noxious or are under some form of legislative control in Australia.