‘Whole-of-State’ biosecurity levy shot down by WA Agriculture Minister

A proposed “whole-of-State” biosecurity levy for all ratepayers has been torpedoed by Alannah MacTiernan, with the WA Agriculture Minister saying the idea “doesn’t stack up”.

The Biosecurity Council of WA recommended the levy be implemented in its recent annual report to Ms MacTiernan, in a bid to secure a “sustainable” funding stream for the State’s defences against pest animal and plant species.

“There is an opportunity to review and revise WA’s biosecurity cost-sharing options to ensure a fair and equitable system is in place to carry WA into the future,” the report said.

“The option favoured by the Council is a whole-of-State rate or levy, similar to the Emergency Services Levy.

“This will augment the available funding to a level more appropriate for maintaining WA’s biosecurity, enabling increased government-led biosecurity action and better support for industry and community-driven action.”

After last week telling media the proposal had “some merit”, Ms MacTiernan had changed her tune when Countryman spoke with her two days later.

“I don’t think it’s a goer, frankly,” she said.

“We were prepared to look at it, but when you do the analysis it just doesn’t stack up. The more you look at it… the less merit it has.”

Under the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007, the State manages pests newly arrived at the borders and those present “in a small, eradicable population”.

Recognised Biosecurity Groups support land managers to control widespread and established pests.

RBG’s are funded by rates levied from property holders, with the WA Government equally matching all funding collected under the declared pest rate.

Ms MacTiernan said the proposed levy had been pitched as a replacement for the declared pest rate.

“I can’t see a good argument for replacing the declared pest rate — which is levied on particular communities to deal with particular pests on particular land — to make that a more general tax,” she said.

She said comparisons between the proposed biosecurity levy and the Emergency Services Levy were flawed because the latter generated about $370 million a year — “100 times more” than was levied under the declared pest rate model.

The “sheer logistics” and administrate cost of implementing a biosecurity levy to collect “such a relatively small amount” was not worthwhile, Ms MacTiernan said.

“Part of the argument they’re putting forward… is that biosecurity affects everyone, which in one sense it does, but not in the same direct way,” she said.

“For example, a very large proportion of the declared pest rate is involved in the baiting of dingoes and wild dogs, which… aren’t posing a threat to people living in the metropolitan area.

“It’s really a cost of business (for farmers and pastoralists); the government puts in half of the cost because it recognises there’s Government land in the system.

“Whilst there are certainly some biosecurity risks, like imported red fire ants and shot hole borer for example, that have the potential to affect everyone… they’re not paid for out of the declared pest rates, they are paid for out of the consolidated fund.”

Ms MacTiernan said tying the Emergency Services Levy to property ownership was a “relevant” revenue raising mechanism because it was largely intended to protect properties from fires.

WAFarmers president John Hassell said a biosecurity levy was “a good idea”, though he admitted it would “take a lot of guts to introduce another tax”.

“There are plenty of (biosecurity threats) that are potentially affecting or caused by residential areas and not directly by farmers, so I don’t think farmers should have to pay the whole bloody lot,” Mr Hassell said.

“But I think it would need to have a fair bit of scrutiny to make sure that it’s not just a ridiculous revenue raising exercise.”

The proposal comes as the State Government carries out a review of the BAM Act.

The panel carrying out the review will hand down its final report and recommendations sometime next year.

Should it recommend a biosecurity levy, the final decision will rest with the State Government.

The WA Biosecurity Council was established in 2008 as a specialist advisory group to the WA Agriculture Minister and Director General responsible for administering the BAM Act.

It is made up of eight members appointed by the Minister, including chair Simon McKirdy, who is a Professor of Biosecurity at Murdoch University and pro vice chancellor of the Harry Butler Institute.