The government's proposed new biosecurity levy continues to attract criticism, with Plant Health Australia (PHA) boss Sarah Corcoran telling Senate Estimates her organisation had a number of misgivings surrounding the proposal.
"PHA members are generally concerned with the biosecurity protection levy," she said.
"Those concerns range from the way it was announced through to the approach that was taken with it," she told the Senate Estimate session.
Plant Health Australia is the national coordinating body responsible for plant health, with biosecurity management a large part of its role.
Ms Corcoran said a number of PHA members, which include peak bodies for grain, horticulture and tree crop organisations among others, had participated in consultation with the government in the lead up to them announcing the proposed levy, but the idea of a new levy had not been put to them.
Grain Producers Australia chair Barry Large said Ms Corcoran's comments encapsulated the views of many ag-based organisations about the levy, which has come under criticism for only targeting the ag sector and not risk creating groups such as importers.
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