A three-day stakeholder consultation workshop started this morning at the Lae International Hotel to present the ‘Draft Biosecurity Bill 2023’ and get stakeholders’ views and input.
The managing director of the National Agriculture Quarantine and Inspection Authority (NAQIA), Joel Alu, said this is the final workshop.
“We delivered our biosecurity policy in June last year – during the election period,” he explained. “So from that biosecurity policy, one of the recommendations was to deliver a biosecurity bill. So this bill is crafted from the policy document that we have.”
The biosecurity bill is a key vehicle that will implement the Biosecurity Policy 2022-2030.
“This is the final biosecurity workshop and after that we will take the final document to the government, to the Attorney General’s office. All the lawyers are seated up there, we brought them in so that they understand what is going on. So when we go back to them, they will have no issues talking to us.
“The lawyers are sitting there. We’ll take it to the Attorney General’s office, and then to the National Executive Council, and then to First Legislative Council, and then we take it to the Minister for Agriculture and Livestock, Aiye Tambua, who will take this Bill to parliament this year.”
The broad goals of the draft Biosecurity Bill are to:
- Prevent the introduction, establishment and spread of pests and diseases;
- Enable PNG to meet its legal commitments under international agreements and to harmonise its measures with international obligations and standards, and;
- Create a robust and transparent environment for trade, investment and business, as well as agricultural activities.
Wednesday and Thursday’s sessions are set be hosted at the National Agricultural Research Institute at 10-Mile, Bubia, outside Lae city.