Australian Greens

The Australian Greens have urged the Federal Government to properly resource and update its national plan for tackling Phytophthora dieback after the Senate voted to disallow the Government's plan because it was out-of-date and ineffectual.

"This disease is the biggest single threat to biodiversity in the south-west of WA, where it has already infected one million hectares and placed another million hectares at high risk of infection," Greens Spokesperson on Natural Resource Management, Senator Rachel Siewert said.

"It is essential that we have an effective plan.

"Phytophthora dieback, also known simply as 'dieback', is a plant disease caused by the introduced plant pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi, which is spread through infected water, soil or plant material.

"As well as Western Australia, Phytophthora dieback has infected vast areas of Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales and South Australia.

"Phytophthora dieback is listed as a 'key threatening process' under Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act and yet since the first national threat abatement plan for Phytophthora dieback was produced in , there has been little Federal funding to address the problem.

"The original 2001 plan, produced after extensive consultation, was updated in 2006. However, the 2009 version of the plan hastily posted on the Federal Department of Environment's website in June after I raised this issue in the Senate takes no account of scientific developments in addressing the problem since 2006.

"The '2009' version of the plan is also woefully under-resourced and places no obligation on state and territory agencies to address the problem.

"After consulting experts, I took the unusual step for a Greens Senator of moving a motion to disallow this plan in order that a better one could be developed," Senator Siewert said.

"I urge the Rudd Government to now develop an effective national threat abatement plan for Phytophthora cinnamomi that will include specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound goals, objectives and actions.

"In doing this, the Rudd Government must negotiate with state and territory agencies and land managers about the plan to leverage the resources, commitments and expertise needed to deliver meaningful outcomes."

"I find it astounding that instead of redeveloping the threat abatement plan the Government opposed a motion in the Senate yesterday calling for the development of such a plan."