Australia's FMD outbreak plan to be reviewed

The new Exotic Animal Disease Preparedness Taskforce will also investigate the strategy to respond to other biosecurity threats, such as lumpy skin disease, to ensure the country is prepared for the worst-case scenario.

Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said although the federal, state and territory governments all had well developed biosecurity plans, it had been several years since any government had undertaken a large-scale planning exercise for an FMD outbreak.

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"Will leave no stone unturned to ensure that we are ready should an outbreak occur here," Mr Watt said.

"Good governance plan for the best and prepare for the worst. This will ensure that everyone understands their roles and responsibilities if there were to be an outbreak, and that there are no gaps in our response."

Mr Watt said Labor was implementing the lessons it had learnt from the Coalition's slow and unprepared response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We are determined to not make the same mistakes that they made," he said.

"They were too slow on vaccines, too slow on RATS and Australians played the price. We can do better than that by being fully prepared."

The taskforce will be co-led by officials from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, along with Emergency Management Australia, which also sits under Mr Watt in his role as Emergency Management Minister.

"One of the ways I think about [an FMD outbreak] is it's quite similar to how we would manage a natural disaster," Mr Watt said.

The taskforce will include officials from several government departments and Australian Defence Force personnel.

"The main thing we're looking for from the ADF at this point in time with the taskforce is to draw on their planning and logistics expertise," Mr Watt said.

The review is due to report back in four weeks with "urgent advice", and Mr Watt didn't rule out extending the taskforce lifespan.

The DAFF has assessed the risk of of an FMD incursion in the next five years as 11.6 per cent and 28pc for LSD

The government's response to the Indonesian FMD outbreak will also be the subject of a parliamentary inquiry.