COMMITTEES

Senator STEELE-JOHN (Western Australia) (17:49): Let me just first say that I'm very pleased to speak in support of Senator Pocock's motion to establish an inquiry into the Australian Herbicides and Veterinary Medicine Authority decision of June 2026 to allow the continued use of paraquat as a herbicide. I really want to thank you, Senator, for bringing this important issue to the Senate today and your advocacy in bringing a collective attention to this decision.

As a senator for Western Australia, I've heard from constituents who are deeply concerned about the health impacts of paraquat. In particular, they have raised serious concerns about the growing body of evidence linking exposure of paraquat to Parkinson's disease. I would also acknowledge the important work of Parkinson's Australia.

They have been raising the alarm and have highlighted the reviews, submissions and advocacy that is pointing to a mounting body of scientific evidence about the impacts of paraquat on human health. Today's motion comes in the context of the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicine Authority's conclusion of its long-term review of paraquat, and I recognise that some people have welcomed the stronger controls announced as part of the review, including increased personal protective equipment requirements and the restriction of the use of backpack sprayers, including requirements relating to enclosed cabs.

But I have also heard from many people who are disappointed and deeply concerned that these measures do not go far enough. Their view is that, given the risks associated with this chemical, paraquat should be banned altogether. The campaign to ban paraquat in Australia is gaining momentum, and we must recognise this.

More than 20,000 people have signed a petition calling for a ban. More than 70 countries around the world have banned paraquat, including the United Kingdom, Canada, China and the Netherlands. Despite this evidence, here in Australia paraquat continues to be used every day.

Australia's regulatory body has said that exposure to this chemical through approved uses does not increase the risk of neurotoxicity, including Parkinson's disease. I have seen social media reporting that Australia's neurologists feel that their expertise and evidence in this review were not fully considered. I am concerned that Australia is out of step with the rest of the world on this one.

I think our regulatory model should be precautionary, where a chemical is deemed hazardous unless it is proven to be safe. There is no proof that paraquat, even with precaution, is safe. We in the Greens believe it warrants further scrutiny, proper scrutiny—the kind of scrutiny which is, quite frankly, the job of this body.

That is what the Senate is for. We support the referral of this matter to the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee. For that reason, we will be supporting this motion for an inquiry.

The Greens will continue to be alongside communities, workers, farmers, health advocates and organisations like Parkinson's Australia in calling for genuinely evidence based and risk based approaches to the regulation and use of chemicals in Australia. When there are serious concerns about the health impacts of a chemical used in Australia, Australians deserve transparency, rigorous scrutiny and the opportunity to understand precisely how government came to a decision that was taken.

This is something which the community should be able to rely on across the board, but it damn well is something that they can and should be able to expect when it comes to public health and risk of a condition as serious as Parkinson's disease. A Senate inquiry into this decision would ensure that there can be confidence in the decisions made by this authority.

For those reasons, we support this reference.