Footbaths have become a symbol of the debate that's erupted over what the response should be to the news that foot and mouth disease has been detected in the tourism mecca of Bali.
Bali is 1800km from our shores at Darwin as the seagull flies but just a $259 flight from Melbourne at our southern extremities.
When you click on the link to buy a ticket from Tullamarine to Denpasar, a message flashes up from the Australian government about the potential impact that COVID restrictions could have on travel.
It seems to those of us close to livestock industries are very well aware that FMD will smash the overall Australian economy in much the same way that the global pandemic has, but the official response hasn't appeared to be as urgent as it was when the health of the human population was under threat.
We've seen our political leaders already joust over whether enough is being done in response to the news - National leader David Littleproud, who until a few months ago would have been the person leading Australia's efforts, says the only way to mitigate against people who make false declarations about their movements is to introduce disinfectant foot baths at airports, accusing the government of not doing enough.
In the words of Australian-based international meat analyst Simon Quilty, there are grave fears of "FMD highways" through airports at Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt has said that the FMD threat is a top priority for the government, and that there are ongoing high-level discussions between Australian and Indonesian authorities, along with a commitment of vaccines and technical expertise.
But what we want to see is education and preventative measures being implemented here in Australia.
Hats off to the Barcaldine Shire mayor Sean Dillon, a cattleman himself, who has asked his council to approve the installation of appropriate warning signage at the Barcaldine Airport for returning visitors from Indonesia about FMD.
And double hats off to Buy From the Bush founder Grace Brennan for her offer to Qantas of an in-flight video outlining the risks foot and mouth disease pose to the country's agriculture sector.
These are the types of measures we need to see more of, from everyone.
- Talk of the Town is a weekly opinion piece written by ACM journalists. The thoughts expressed are their own.
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Sally Gall
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
