21958 (2025). Hon Jo Luxton to the Minister for Biosecurity

21958 (2025). Hon Jo Luxton to the Minister for Biosecurity: Why has this Government only allocated $15 million to respond to the invasive marine pest Caulerpa, when $870 million was allocated to manage the land-based biosecurity threat of Mycoplasma bovis?

Hon Andrew Hoggard: Crown funding for exotic caulerpa has been in excess of $24 million to date. Mycoplasma bovis and exotic caulerpa present quite different challenges from a biosecurity management perspective. The economic impacts of Mycoplasma bovis are direct and well understood, and the tools and operational work required to control it were readily available. The impact of exotic caulerpa on the environment and, therefore, economy are not yet fully understood and, until recent investment made by the Government, tools for effective removal within the challenges of the marine environment were not available.