Only a government ruled by ideology or fear would attack the ABC, Anthony Albanese has said at the 90th birthday celebration of the public broadcaster in Sydney.
In a thinly veiled attack on the former Coalition government’s fraught relationship with the ABC, the prime minister on Friday evening said a strong independent broadcaster was vital to democracy and brought Australia together as a nation.
“The health of our democracy is underpinned by truth and by the strength of our cultural identity – how we see ourselves as a people and what unifies us in all the splendor of our diversity,” Albanese said.
“A government that chooses to attack a public broadcaster does so motivated by either ideology or fear – or a toxic cocktail of the two.
“No government should fear the ABC – unless it fears the truth. A government of integrity and transparency should welcome the accountability that a strong, properly resourced public broadcaster brings.”
An avowed fan of Triple J, Albanese praised many aspects of the ABC, from the credibility of its news and current programming affairs to its crucial role during the pandemic and the bushfires.
“There are people still alive right now because of the ABC,” he said.
He confirmed Labor would provide five-year funding terms, restore the $83.7m cut by the former government and review options for delivering greater financial sustainability to safeguard against political interference.
Albanese told guests in studio 22 at the ABC’s Ultimo headquarters that locally made children’s television such as Bluey was important for the development of cultural identity in young people who would otherwise face “a tide of imported programming”.
“Just as in drama, we need other voices and all the perspectives they bring, but not at the expense of our own,” he said.
Albanese, who was joined by the communications minister, Michelle Rowland, said the ABC helped to share Australia’s voice in the region.
“That was undervalued by the previous government, even trivialized,” he said, reiterating an election promise to increase funding for Australian content in the Indo-Pacific region.
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The ABC’s managing director, David Anderson, said the corporation could not be complacent about the future.
“We need to continue to evolve the ABC to respond to rapid technological change and the changing audience preferences and behaviors that come with it,” he said.
“The competition for audience attention is intense and the competitors are large, global and well-funded.”
She was sent a final version of the panel report on June 15, placing Barilaro as the first-ranked candidate, several days after he had already signed a contract on June 9.
“I wasn’t aware that an offer had been made when I received this, and I wasn’t aware that Mr Barilaro [had signed a] contract,” Lo said.
She said she was never told that one of Barilaro’s informal referees was Ayres, the minister in charge of the portfolio.
Lo also said the other independent panel member, Warwick Smith, had asked her to put on the record that “had he known then what he knows now, he also would not have endorsed the report” recommending Barilaro.
She still believed Barilaro would have been successful in the US job, but maintained serious concerns about the process that placed him in the role.
The government had been highly critical of the committee for not immediately calling the commissioner to the inquiry.
It also raised concerns about the treatment of the third-ranked candidate, who had applied in an earlier recruitment round. She said the panel was given her first interview report, without being told it had been substantially downgraded for the second review.
“I had trusted that the first assessment would be carried over,” she said.
“I should have asked to see the first panel’s report. I deeply regret not doing so, and I’ve learned a hard lesson.”
Earlier, Investment NSW managing director Kylie Bell told the inquiry that Cole, a global executive, was initially ranked higher than Barilaro because of a preference to appoint a female to the role.
Cole and Barilaro were the top two candidates from a recruitment round for the New York trade commissioner role.
“[Cole] was an excellent candidate, no doubt,” Bell said on Friday. “I suspect [the recruitment manager] was trying to help us fulfill our mandate of looking at someone from a diverse background.”
Bell added that someone “should not be employed because they’re a female if they are not the best person for the job”.
Investment NSW managing director Kylie Bell gives evidence to the inquiry on Friday.Credit:Kate Geraghty
Bell on Friday said she dismissed an unflattering report about Barilaro from the recruitment firm, arguing it reflected an “unconscious bias” against him.
Leader of the Opposition in the upper house Penny Sharpe asked if she was suggesting the firm “did not like him”.
“Potentially,” Bell said.
Bell said she conducted an informal referee check for Cole, who received a “glowing” reference and had strong business credentials in Asia, but that did not make Cole right for the US role.
“Because someone is a fantastic business person in Hong Kong or China does not mean they’re going to succeed in New York.”
Asked if Barilaro had the requisite international experience, Bell conceded he had not worked offshore but said he had led “a small business, that he took overseas as an exporting business”.
The inquiry on Friday also heard evidence from Barilaro’s former chief of staff Siobhan Hamblin, who worked for him between February 2020 and October 2021.
Hamblin told the committee she urged Barilaro not to quit politics amid the COVID crisis for the good of the government and the state, after the shock resignation of premier Gladys Berejiklian on October 1.
Siobhan Hamblin the former chief of staff to John Barilaro.Credit:Kate Geraghty
“My advice to Mr Barilaro on that day was that any plans that you may have to leave politics should be shelved for the sake of stable government and for the people of NSW, as we were still in the grips of a lockdown”.
Barilaro did not heed her advice and ultimately followed through with his resignation two days later.
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Hamblin said Barilaro never raised with her any personal interest in the trade roles.
Barilaro is due to front the inquiry on Monday.
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Security staff at Parliament House in Canberra seized copies of a book about Julian Assange from his family members as they entered the building to meet MPs on Thursday, deeming it “protest material”.
Assange’s family and supporters visited parliament on Thursday to urge the Albanese government to intervene in the proposed extradition of the WikiLeaks founder from the UK to the United States.
They were carrying copies of a book on Assange’s case by Nils Melzer, the former United Nations special rapporteur on torture, which they intended to give to MPs and media.
But Assange’s brother, Gabriel Shipton, said parliament security refused to let the family take the book into the building, because they deemed it to be “protest material”.
“I was saying ‘this is ridiculous. They’re books’,” Gabriel Shipton said. “I offered to call Andrew Wilkie, who was the MP who co-chaired the Parliamentary Friends of the Bring Julian Assange Home Group. He said ‘yes, go ahead, call him, but you can’t take the books in’.”
The family was able to distribute books to MPs and media from a box already stored in Wilkie’s office, and a staffer from Wilkie’s office was able to later retrieve the seized books.
But Louise Bennet, a campaigner with the Bring Assange Home Campaign, said the actions of security were “ridiculous”.
“They were incredibly adamant that it was protest material and that it was not allowed into the building,” Bennett said.
“It just blows my mind. This is the sort of thing that we see in Trump’s America, that we criticize in China. What is our parliament afraid of that we can’t bring a book in?”
The Department of Parliamentary Services said it could not comment on “specific operational security matters”.
Gabriel Shipton attended parliament with Assange’s father, John Shipton, and other campaigners.
During their visit, they raised concerns about the lack of progress since the May election. The family urged Anthony Albanese to make the issue “non-negotiable” with the US.
Gabriel Shipton said on Friday that he was disappointed in the rhetoric from the new government, which he said had undergone a “significant change” since it won office.
He said Labor had been much more forthright in its criticism of the treatment of Assange before the election.
“They were elected on that platform, [it was] one of their promises essentially, and it’s one of the first ones that they’ve gone back on,” he said.
Albanese has said that he intends to pursue the matter diplomatically and that “not all foreign affairs is best done with the loudhailer”.
An 11th hour Federal Court injunction has temporarily halted the construction of a contentious major highway project in Western Australia.
Key points:
The Bunbury Outer Ring Road is WA’s most expensive ever road project
Work to clear land for the road began this week, amid protests
But an 11th hour Federal Court injunction has temporarily halted work
Clearing of bushland to make way for the $1.25 billion Bunbury Outer Ring Road began this week to a chorus of backlash from local community members who say the highway will cause irreversible environmental damage.
The injunction issued late on Friday by the Federal Court of Australia prevents Main Roads and its contractors from conducting any more clearing work on the southern section of the road through the semi-rural community of Gelorup.
Clearing of the land, which sits on a 40-year-old road reserve, began on Monday following a visit to the site by former Greens leader Bob Brown.
Opponents had been campaigning for Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to reverse her decision to sign off on environmental approvals, paving the way for construction to begin.
The Bunbury Outer Ring Road has cleared all environmental hurdles at a state and federal level.
The court order is in place until a scheduled hearing on Monday afternoon.
The injunction does not prevent work from continuing on the northern section, which has been under construction for months.
Main Roads would not comment on the injunction, other than to confirm work at the site had stopped until the court hearing.
Dr Sue Chapman is the vice president of local action group Friends of Gelorup Corridor.(ABC South West: Sam Bold)
Sue Chapman — a local resident whose name is on the court application — said it was a big win for the community.
“We are just so relieved, it’s been the most traumatic week watching the beautiful trees, just simply bulldozed, and wood chipped immediately,” Dr Chapman said.
“To finally feel like there’s a sense of reprieve. It’s just been overwhelming.”
premier backs road
Earlier this week, Premier Mark McGowan said his government would be building the road and the route had been planned for decades.
“The Bunbury Outer Ring Road is designed to save lives and to reduce the pressure on traffic going through Bunbury,” Mr McGowan said.
“It’s been in the plans for the South West for [more than] 30 years. Whichever route you choose, there would be some clearing.
“It’s designed to make life much better for people in the South West. We’ve actually done Bussell Highway as well — which lots of people were dying on as well — in addition to that project.
“So look, that’s the plan. We actually got full environmental approval, the whole range of offsets, that’s replantings, preserving possum habitat and the like.”
A map of showing the route of the southern section of the Bunbury Outer Ring Road.(ABC South West: Asha Couch)
WA Police said there had been very little enforcement required to maintain order at the construction site, despite several protesters being removed for trespassing.
Since Monday when land clearing began, there have been five arrests for trespass, four move-on notices issued and one court summons.
Main Roads said it understood there were a lot of emotions at play, and the community had a right to peacefully protest.
But it said it would call police when people accessed the construction site without authorization and put workers’ safety at risk.
Construction of the northern section of the road is well underway.(Supplied: Nearmap)
A WA Police spokesperson says “engagement has been very positive between protesters and police, including those who have removed themselves from machinery or trees when requested.
“We support any person who wants to protest as long as it is done lawfully and in an orderly manner.”
Preserved under layers of concrete for more than a century, a forgotten melbourne has been uncovered by developers starting work on a new office tower in the CBD.
A cow’s femur, food storage jars, grease for hair styling and an ink well were just some of the items discovered at the site, on the coroner of Little Lonsdale and Bennetts Lane.
Extent Heritage chief executive Ian Travers said the finds provided a “glimpse of what early life in Melbourne was like”.
The dig is in preparation for the construction of the Bennett’s Lane development in Melbourne’s CBD. (Nine)Some of the items discovered at the site, on the coroner of Little Lonsdale and Bennetts Lane in Melbourne. (Nine)
Remains of mid to late 19th-century terraces and cottages have also been unearthed among the artifacts.
“It’s a remarkable demonstration of the development of the city from the earliest colonial development of Port Phillip which became the City of Melbourne,” Travers said.
“This is really the first collection of material culture that the first European inhabitants brought with them.”
Travers said artifacts discovered were in well-preserved.
Preserved under layers of concrete for more than a century, a forgotten Melbourne has been uncovered. (Nine)
“The level of preservation of the structural remains along with the artifacts is really giving us a level of detail that isn’t recorded in the historical records,” he said.
“These were just not written about and now we can fill in these gaps.”
The dig is in preparation for the construction of the Bennett’s Lane development, a 20-storey office building with a retail and entertainment precinct.
Developers Perri Projects and Pellicano are now working with archaeologists from Extent Heritage to document the discoveries.
A cow’s femur, food storage jars, grease for hair styling and an ink well were just some of the items discovered at the site. (Nine)
The developers said the precinct would incorporate the newly discovered artifices and re-purpose some of the bluestone and brick materials salvaged during the excavation.
Lord Mayor Sally Capp said she was thrilled to see parts of Melbourne’s history preserved and salvaged.
“When heritage elements are identified, it’s important for them to be incorporated into the completed development and we are going to see that happen here on Bennetts Lane,” she said.
The precious artifacts countries have wanted back for centuries
“We are going to see the artifacts and their stories brought to life in this development.”
The WA Government has cracked down on the illegal sale of vapes across more than 30 State stores, uncovering half-a-million dollars worth of e-cigarettes with many containing undisclosed amounts of nicotine.
Revealing the haul of more than 15,000 disposable vapes, WA Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said the products imported from overseas are often labeled incorrectly and can contain nicotine.
Of the vapes currently seized, testing through ChemCentre has shown two-thirds of the collection contained undisclosed nicotine — with quantities in some instances equivalent to 50 cigarettes.
The State’s chief pharmacist Meeghan Clay said the vapes can be sold for between $30-$50.
She said many of the seizures had come through tip-offs via WA Police’s Crime Stoppers and included pop-up sales at small stores and delis.
“The hardest ones for us to find are the pop-ups because they’re not as obvious,” she said.
“We’re seeing a very, very small number of vapes now that are stating ‘zero nicotine’. My major concern with that is that these companies are not as scrupulous as ethical companies.
“Our big concern is that although there are a small number of vapes in the stores that don’t have nicotine, there is nothing to stop that company in three months’ time from adding nicotine and still saying ‘zero nicotine’ on the label.
“These have never been legal in Western Australia and we have been doing compliance activities for a number of years now, but we have now stepped it up quite significantly.”
Ms Sanderson said young people can be drawn to the addictive devices by manufacturers using sweet flavors such as bubble gum, grape and strawberry.
The Minister said the Health Department had put 3000 retailers on notice, reminding them of the ongoing sale restrictions.
“We want retailers to do the right thing. We’ve started with our education program,” she said.
The maximum penalty for a breach of the relevant provisions of the Medicines and Poisons Act 2014 is $45,000, while possession of nicotine without a prescription can fetch penalties of up to $30,000.
“It is important that the community remembers that retailers remember it is illegal to sell vapes,” she said.
“It is illegal to purchase a vape without a prescription and you get that prescription from your GP as part of quitting smoking.
“There’s some evidence, but it is limited, that vaping can help adults who want to quit smoking but there are many other mechanisms that you can use.
“It’s always important that if you want to quit smoking, you talk to your GP first.”
Anyone who believes a retailer is selling illegal e-cigarettes or vapes is urged to ‘dob-in-a dealer’ by contacting Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Just as alleged murderer Tobias Moran was set to be denied bail on Thursday, interstate saviours came to his rescue.
Mr Moran was extradited to Sydney from his home in Western Australia last week after being charged with killing his German backpacker girlfriend Simone Strobel in Lismore in 2005.
With all signs pointing to the alleged killer remaining behind bars on Thursday, it seemed Mr Moran would not be returned to his pregnant wife and two children in Perth.
But as the decision was to be passed down, the surfer’s father-in-law, John Moran, who is a well-known dentist in WA, reportedly went to great lengths to ensure his son-in-law’s release.
Mr Moran and his family are understood to have coughed up hundreds of thousands for their in-law, according to the Daily Mail.
Mr Moran’s brother in law, Michael Moran, has also entered into the bail agreement and will be required to pay $50,000 if the alleged killer refuses to allow police to inspect his phone on request.
Other bail conditions include the requirement for Mr Moran to surrender his passport, to report to Wembley Police Station three days a week and to remain off encrypted communication tools such as WhatsApp.
He must not go within 500 meters of any international point of departure, unless to travel to and from NSW for the purpose of attending court and must live at an address in City Beach in WA.
Prior to his release from custody on Friday, Mr Moran was held at Lismore Police Station.
Before being extradited to Sydney on murder charges, Moran was understood to be living a life of luxury by the beach in Perth with his wife Samantha and their two children.
Formerly known as Tobias Suckfuel, alleged the murderer took the name of his wealthy wife when the pair were married in 2012.
Ms Moran, a lawyer, yoga instructor, children’s book author and former ski instructor, is now preparing to give birth to their third child.
The alleged killer was released from prison in Sydney on Thursday after prosecutors decided not to appeal against his bail being granted.
Toby Moran (above) now lives in a Perth beachside suburb and surfs at exotic beachside locations. Credit: News Regional Media
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions released a brief statement on Thursday night.
“The ODPP has considered the matter and determined not to make a detention application in relation to Mr Moran,” they said.
The matter is next listed before the Lismore Local Court on September 28.
Mr Moran will not be required to appear.
Mr Moran is alleged of suffocating Ms Strobel inside a camper van before dumping her body under some foliage nearby.
The 42-year-old was freed by a Sydney magistrate after it was determined that there was not sufficient evidence to link him with the 2005 murder.
He can now return to his home in Western Australia where he was extradited from last week.
Magistrate Margaret Quinn in the Downing Center Local Court on Thursday accepted submissions from Moran’s barrister which claimed there was no new evidence connecting him to the murder.
Police allege Mr Moran killed his girlfriend while they were staying at the Lismore Tourist Caravan Park on February 11, 2005.
Six days after Ms Strobel disappeared, the body of the 25-year-old schoolteacher was found hidden under palm fronds just 100m from the caravan park.
Police claim Mr Moran stayed at the caravan park and misled investigators as they tried to determine the cause of Ms Strobel’s death.
According to police, Mr Moran lied during the initial investigation into Ms Strobel’s death about the nature of their relationship, their consumption of alcohol, and what she was wearing when she disappeared.
More than 17 years later, he had been extradited from his home in Western Australia and charged with murder as well as acting to pervert the course of justice.
On Thursday, Mr Moran appeared via video link in Sydney Downing Center Local Court to learn whether he would be granted conditional freedom after a lengthy bail review on Wednesday.
Simone Strobel was staying at the Lismore Tourist Caravan Park in 2005 when she died. Credit: News Regional Media
During the bail review, his lawyer Tim Game SC told the court the case against Mr Moran was “non-existent”.
He argued the police allegations against his client, including the claim Ms Strobel died of suffocation, were not supported by evidence.
The crown prosecutor disagreed and categorized the circumstantial evidence as strong.
He noted there were a number of statements from new witnesses, which the court heard would bring the total number of witness statements to a staggering 300.
The prosecutor noted an inquest found Ms Strobel did not die from natural causes, but instead the actions of a person or people.
Magistrate Margaret Quinn noted neither an Australian inquest in 2007 nor a German inquest had definitively identified the cause of death.
The court heard the couple had been drinking, doing drugs and fighting before Ms Strobel disappeared.
Witnesses heard screaming in the area of the caravan park in the hours before the young teacher disappeared.
Magistrate Quinn noted the “matters are very old” and would be difficult to prove.
Mr Moran was extradited from WA last week to face charges before the NSW court. Credit: News Corp AustraliaKey locations in the Simone Strobel case. Credit: News Regional Media
She said the prosecution case was purely circumstantial.
“There doesn’t appear to be at its highest any direct evidence connecting him to the offence,” she said.
“It’s not the strongest circumstantial case I’ve seen.”
The magistrate noted Mr Moran has a clean record and his associates combined to offer $450,000 in assurances he would not flee.
Mr Moran, who was known as Tobias Suckfuell before he legally changed his name, was granted strict conditional bail after a robust discussion of how WA authorities would enforce potential bail breaches.
Magistrate Quinn determined the 42-year-old could be released if he reported to police, surrendered his phone information, surrendered his family’s passports and resided only at his City Beach home in WA.
Police claim Tobias Moran continuously lied to them after Ms Strobel went missing. Credit: News Regional Media
However, crown prosecutor Scott Jaeger immediately moved to delay Mr Moran’s release by indicating he would submit a detention application to the Supreme Court.
Hours later, that decision was reversed.
The court heard the trial will likely be held in 2024 due to delays in the court system.
A dozen heritage-listed trees in Footscray have been marked for removal by Maribyrnong City Council (MCC) after reports they posed a risk to public safety.
Key points:
Residents said they were only made aware of the plans to remove the trees last week
Maribyrnong City Council said the trees posed a safety risk after two collapsed in severe winds
The council said it would work with local residents on a plan to replant new trees
Some 54 English elm and desert ash line Bunbury Street in the Melbourne suburb, with the eldest trees planted about 120 years ago.
But residents believed MCC was unnecessarily removing some trees and were only informed about the plans days before work was expected to start.
Local Footscray Ronch Willner said the move had sparked anger.
“Last week they sent notifications to a few residents about the removal works that have started today,” he said.
“Because of the poor community consultation, the community has started to read the reports and have started to [realise] … they’ve been selectively removing the trees over the years without notifying the residents.”
Residents say they want to see the heritage-listed trees remain.(Supplied: Martin Stockfeld)
Mr Willner said the community, which wanted its green spaces preserved, understood the safety risks the trees could pose.
But he said the community felt MCC was unnecessarily removing some of the trees.
Mr Willner said a juvenile tree (number 51) that was flagged in the arborist reports as “needing watering” was removed by the council without notice.
A report from the MCC flagged the decline in the trees’ health was in part due to infrastructure and management of the canopies, and stated three trees had already been removed.
Many trees, according to the report, would also need to be removed in the future as they continued to grow, with their roots possibly becoming damaged by the kerbside.
Some trees may be removed because they are growing too close to the kerb.(Supplied: Maribyrnong City Council)
Trees ‘could not be saved’
MCC chief executive officer Celia Haddock said the trees were putting the street’s residents and visitors at risk and “could not be saved.”
“Two mature elms collapsed during a severe wind event last year,” she said.
“Their failure prompted MCC to proactively assess and remove only those identified as being in poor structural condition to mitigate any future risk to the public.”
Plans to replace the trees have not been confirmed, but Ms Haddock said the council would be “working with local residents on a tree-planting renewal plan”.
Community members have since started an online petition in the hope MCC will rethink the trees’ removal.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended claims made against him over a “dismissive gesture” towards Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley.
Ms Ley called out Mr Albanese for his “hypocrisy” in Parliament following the Prime Minister’s dismissive hand motion made towards her during a typical heated Question Time on Thursday afternoon.
Mr Albanese spoke with ABC Melbourne on Friday where he brushed off the suggestions and claimed the Opposition was itself being “completely disruptive” towards him.
“I dismiss the comments as being totally hypocritical given the yelling that occurred every time I was on my feet, including non-stop gestures, yelling for me to sit down,” he said.
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“People who ask questions should expect to hear the answer.
“The Coalition had a bad day yesterday. They continue to be completely disruptive during Question Time.”
Paul Fletcher, Manager of Opposition Business, stepped up to the dispatch box shortly after Ms Ley and demanded Mr Albanese “withdraw”.
“The Prime Minister made a dismissive gesture towards the Deputy Leader of the Opposition,” he said on Thursday.
“It was disrespectful to a sitting woman parliamentarian and (I) asked him to withdraw.”
Mr Albanese was pressed further by the ABC host on the incident where he declared, “I have been respectful and I’ll continue to be”.
“We engage respectfully across the Parliament, in order to get the legislation through including with independents and crossbench members,” he said.
“The Opposition have chosen the road of disruption. That is what they’re engaged in.
“The Opposition counted themselves out of the debate on climate change when Peter Dutton, for reasons beyond my comprehension, ignored the mandate and ignored the message that the Australian people gave that they wanted action on climate change.”
Ms Ley was questioned earlier on Friday by Sky News Australia host Peter Stefanovic about what happened where she unleased on the Prime Minister.
“I can take the rough and tumble, every woman in this place knows how to do that,” she said.
“What I can’t accept is the hypocrisy.
“Anthony Albanese said it was going to be a family-friendly parliament.”
The Albanese Government is celebrating a win after its Climate Change Bill passed the lower house, but Opposition Leader Peter Dutton warned Labor’s focus away from cost-of-living proved it would take Australia down “very dangerous path”.
The legislation will enshrine the government’s 2030 and 2050 emissions reduction targets into law and received support from a majority of the crossbench and Bridget Archer – the only Liberal member who crossed the floor.
But the Liberal Party remained staunchly opposed to the legislation which would prevent a future government ratcheting down the 43 per cent 2030 target.
The recent spread of foot-and-mouth disease to Indonesia is not the only biosecurity battle for which farmers in WA’s easternmost agricultural region are bracing.
Key points:
WA’s first detection of myrtle rust has been confirmed in the East Kimberley
Sandalwood producer Santanol has put the trial of a promising new crop on hold
There has been a 50 per cent jump in quarantine material collected at the WA/NT border
As the only growing region in WA that sits on an interstate border, the Ord Valley’s irrigated horticulture, broadacre cropping and sandalwood industries are on high alert as several dangerous pests and plant diseases creep further west.
Located just 40 kilometers from WA’s border with the Northern Territory on the outskirts of Kununurra, it is no stranger to biosecurity incursions.
It’s where the cane toad first crossed into the state more than a decade ago, and where the damaging fall armyworm affected the first WA broadacre crops in 2020.
It’s also close to where myrtle rust was found for the first time two months ago.
It’s feared mango shoot looper and banana freckle disease could be next after they were each detected in the Northern Territory this year.
Promising new project on hold
David Brocklehurst says the detection of myrtle rust has put a new project on hold.(ABC Kimberley: Courtney Fowler)
Sandalwood producer Santanol is among the hardest hit by the detection of myrtle rust on an East Kimberley pastoral station in June.
Myrtle rust is a fungal disease that can infect and kill plants in the myrtaceae family, such as eucalypts, bottlebrushes, paperbarks and peppermint trees.
While the disease poses no threat to Santanol’s primary sandalwood operation near Kununurra, a new pilot project targeting the cut flower and aromatic oil markets has been put on hold as a result of its spread to WA.
For commercial reasons, Santanol is remaining tight-lipped on the plant species being used in the pilot, but has confirmed it is part of the myrtaceae family.
Managing director David Brocklehurst said plans to expand the crop into broadacre trials this dry season were now too risky.
“We are very concerned that if the rust gets here and we’ve just planted 100,000 plants, then we would actually end up having nothing,” Mr Brocklehurst said.
“We’re keeping the plants well-quarantined and we’ll just see how this unfolds.”
The Department of Primary Industries said there had been no further detections of myrtle rust since its initial detection in June.
Horticulture sector on alert
Steve Angel is concerned about the detection of mango shoot looper in the Northern Territory.(ABC Kimberley: Stephanie Sinclair)
Meanwhile, the recent spread of mango shoot looper to the Northern Territory and detections of varroa mite in New South Wales has put Ord Valley mango growers on edge.
Mango shoot looper is an invasive pest that attacks mango and lychee plants while the varroa mite targets bees, which play a key role in the pollination of a variety of horticultural crops.
Swag Rural manager Steve Angel, who looks after WA’s biggest mango orchard on the outskirts of Kununurra, said he had limited vehicle movements across the property.
Mr Angel said he was also conducting regular checks of the orchard to ensure there was no sign of the pests.
He said the spread of either disease into WA would be devastating.
“If we didn’t control them and have preventive measures, there would be no sense being here,” Mr Angel said.
“People have got to be on the front foot and be aware, not on the back foot waiting for something, making contingency plans.
“We want to keep it out.”
Quarantined volumes soar
A quarantine inspector checks a vehicle near Kununurra.(ABC Kimberley: Stephanie Sinclair)
Officers at the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s quarantine checkpoint near Kununurra are the last line of defense in protecting the region from threats looming across the border.
According to new figures for the 2021-22 financial year, more than 14,000 kilograms of quarantine risk material was detected at the checkpoint, up more than 50 per cent from the previous year.
Supervising inspector Kenneth Bin Jacob said while the lifting of WA’s COVID-19 border restrictions largely contributed to the jump, the long-term trend showed more risk material was collected each year.
“We do see an increase each year — a slight increase,” he said.
“It never really goes backwards.”
Agriculture Minister Alannah MacTiernan said the state government had increased its biosecurity efforts in response to the outbreaks of plant diseases and pests in the Northern Territory.
“We are very aware of the risks of banana freckle and mango shoot looper and we’re working with the growers to up both our surveillance and our movement control,” she said.
“We’re also developing a broader biosecurity awareness program that we’ll be aiming at the punters, making sure that people understand that they’ve got a role to play.”
The heightened plant biosecurity concerns come at a time when Kimberley pastoralists are on alert for animal infections that have spread to Indonesia, including foot and mouth disease and lumpy skin disease.
