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Scrap the Biosecurity Tax Now!

Australian agricultural producers take biosecurity seriously.

That's why we take real responsibility by funding biosecurity directly within our own farming businesses. We also pay through existing compulsory levies, including to fund proactive risk management and prevention, and for emergency eradication and management of pests and diseases.

However, the Federal Government's proposed 'Biosecurity Protection Levy' is a fundamentally flawed policy proposal which fails to deliver better biosecurity protections. It also undermines fundamental trust and confidence in the long-standing partnerships created through compulsory levies.

GPA is extremely thankful and grateful that the concerns we've raised about this flawed policy proposal have ultimately been listened to and acted on, by members of the Federal Parliament.

All MPs except Labor voted against it in the Lower House in March, resulting in a Senate inquiry to examine the details where a dissenting report recommended the bills to implement the tax/levy not be passed.

On May 14, the Greens, Independent Senator David Pocock and others including Independent Senator Tammy Tyrell, Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie, One Nation and United Australia Party Senator Ralph Babet, also indicated they would not be supporting the bills. HERE

Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson said it was "poor policy in both principle and design". 

This follows a continued advocacy campaign based on the concerns of GPA members about the policy's fundamental flaws and failure to achieve fairness or equity - recognising Australian grain producers already do the heavy lifting on biosecurity and others, including risk-creators, need to contribute more to shared responsibility and accountability.

This advocacy included GPA leading a process to raise these concerns and policy facts through a unified voice. More than 50 agricultural representative groups cosigned a joint letter with GPA to Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, expressing unified opposition and concerns about this flawed proposal.

Agriculture Minister, Murray Watt, and Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, were also included in the correspondence to the PM, which calls for action to address major policy flaws and inequities.


The letter says the principles of this policy proposal do not accord with the recent Productivity Commission report into levies, which assesses the policy against well-understood criteria. The independent Productivity Commission analysis also supports industry’s view that this is a tax. It is proposed to be non-hypothecated and carries multiple risks and consequences for producers.


The farm representative groups which signed the letter are calling for an immediate reversal of the government’s flawed ‘one-size-fits-all’ tax proposal to prevent unintended consequences.


This decision would help start the process of repairing the damage that’s already been inflicted on trust and confidence in the existing levy system, and key partnerships with producers.


It will also allow a more considered approach to accommodate levy payers’ concerns.

GPA will continue to monitor the situation regarding these bills that have been listed for debate in the Senate and also engage with the government and other stakeholders to strengthen biosecurity in a way that's actually fair and equitable.

GPA Biosecurity Levy Survey - June 2023: GRAIN PRODUCERS ROUNDLY REJECT 10pc BIOSECURITY LEVY

News Articles
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Grain Central

24 April 2024

GPA CEO Colin Bettles tells the Senate Inquiry into the biosecurity tax that the fundamentally flawed policy is unacceptable in its current state and unfairly ignores significant contributions grain producers already make to biosecurity preparedness.

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Grain Central

22 April 2024

The grains industry will be forced to pay 10 times more than existing levy contributions to the government biosecurity tax according to new figures released by the Federal Government.

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Farm Online

26 March 2024

GPA highlights independent scrutiny of parliamentarians and lower house voting numbers had raised some "serious red flags" around the biosecurity tax.

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AAP

28 February 2024

Panel to give farmers a say on biosecurity spending but growers argue they pay enough in existing levies.

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ABC WA Country Hour

13 February 2024

GPA Chief Executive Colin Bettles says  details were needed before deciding whether the new proposal was fairer.

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Rural Focus

13 February 2024

GPA Chair Barry Large says the biosecurity tax should still be scrapped, despite changes announced today.

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Rural News

24 January 2024

GPA Chief Executive Colin Bettles says the government isn't listening to farm groups opposed to the biosecurity tax.

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Farming Ahead

19 January 2024

Groups representing tens of thousands of primary producers send collective message of opposition to new tax.

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ARR News

17 January 2024

Groups representing tens of thousands of primary producers send collective message of opposition to new tax.

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Rural Focus

16 January 2024

GPA chair Barry Large says the prproposed biosecurity tax is both unpalatable and unwarranted.

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Farming Ahead

15 December 2023

A new Productivity Commission report supports the views of producers that the proposed biosecurity tax is not a levy.

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Farm Online

12 November 2023

Submissions demonstrate a rare form of collective strength and solidarity of views across Australian agriculture.

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The Rural News

25 October 2023

Grain producers are urging the Government to rethink its proposed Biosecurity Protection Levy.

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ARR News

16 October 2023

Australian grain producers have delivered another firm message to Canberra opposing the biosecurity levy.

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Countryman

23 April 2024

Grain growers are bearing the brunt of biosecurity tax contributions new figures reveal as GPA Chair Barry Large hits back at flawed policy and poor consultation by the Federal Government.

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Farm Online

19 April 2024

New figures from the Federal Government revealing the amount industries, such as grains, will be required to pay for the biosecurity protection levy have fuelled ongoing uproar against the plan.

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Farm Online

22 March 2024

GPA welcomes the referral of the biosecurity protection levy via a Senate Inquiry process.

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Farm Online

26 February 2024

Importers offer to pay biosecurity levy in exchange for better services and policing by government.

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ABC NSW Country Hour

13 February 2024

GPA Southern Region Director Andrew Weidemann says biosecurity tax changes don't address agriculture's concerns.

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Country Caller

6 February 2024

Fair pricing inquiries and politicians' calls for a fair go for farmers ignore proposed 10pc biosecurity tax.

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Queensland Country Life

22 January 2024

GrainGrowers urges Federal Government to recognise and quickly resolve issues with biosecurity levy.

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ABC NSW Country Hour

17 January 2024

Grain and wool group representatives ramp up their campaign against the proposed new 10pc biosecurity tax.

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Farm Online

17 January 2024

More than 50 agricultural producer representative groups have penned an open letter opposing the new 10pc tax.

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The Weekly Times

16 January 2024

More than 50 agricultural groups have called on the federal government to scrap its “grossly unfair” biosecurity levy.

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Fresh Plaza

23 November 2023

Australian farmers have formed a united front against an ‘unfair’ biosecurity levy set to be introduced in July. 

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Farm Online

8 November 2023

PHA boss Sarah Corcoran tells Senate Estimates her organisation had misgivings about the proposed levy.

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The Weekly Times

18 October 2023

Farmers who grow grain could pay 60 per cent of the government’s proposed new biosecurity protection levy.

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ABC SA Country Hour

28 September 2023

Australia’s grain industry is demanding a rethink of the Federal Government proposed 10 per cent biosecurity levy. 

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Farm Online

23 April 2024

GPA's stanch opposition to the biosecurity tax builds as public submissions close and industry groups make statements to the Senate Inquiry process.

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ABC WA Country Hour

9 April 2024

GPA Chair Barry Large says MP opposition in the lower house and industry outcry sends a clear message to the Labor Govt as the Senate prepares to scrutinise the biosecurity tax proposal.

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Farm Online

12 March 2024

GPA and other ag groups lobby crossbenchers in bid to block biosecurity levy legislation.

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Grain Central

15 February 2024

Ag bodies criticise lack of detail in revised biosecurity tax and potential overlap with existing levies.

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The Land

13 February 2024

Federal Government responds to months of protests by announcing changes to new biosecurity tax.

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ARR News

5 February 2024

GPA Chair Barry Large asks why not all farmers are farmers when it comes to inquiries into pricing fairness.

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2GB Ben Fordham Live

22 January 2024

GPA Chief Executive Colin Bettles explains why Australian farmers are furious about the new biosecurity tax.

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Farm Weekly

17 January 2024

GPA Chair Barry Large urges producers to get behind a campaign to axe the deeply flawed, unfair proposed 10pc tax.

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Sheep Central

16 January 2024

Sheep Producers Australia and Wool Producers Australia are among the 50 groups opposing a new biosecurity tax.

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Farm Online

12 January 2024

GPA flags reallocating some grower levies from GRDC to PHA to fund increased biosecurity program.

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Countryman

23 November 2023

Opposition to the proposed biosecurity levy was laid bare in an avalanche of submissions published this month.

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Farm Online

25 October 2023

Grain grower representative groups say no direction for use of proposed biosecurity levy funds makes it a new tax.

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Country Today

17 October 2023

Australia’s grain industry is demanding a rethink of the Federal Government proposed 10 per cent biosecurity levy. 

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Farm Online

25 August 2023

Australia's peak grain grower groups have called on growers to get involved in the public consultation process.

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