Australia's FMD preparation under microscope during six-month inquiry

The inquiry had a particular focus on how well Australia was prepared for lumpy skin and foot and mouth disease, both of which are running rampant in Indonesia, and looked to close any gaps in the nation's biosecurity net.

The key recommendation reiterated calls for a long-term sustainable funding model to support the biosecurity system and the government has already begun canvassing the agriculture and import industries for feedback on the best funding model

The committee also recommended attracting more vets to the regions, reviewing gaps in the workforce to ensure there are no critical labour shortages in the event of a major outbreak and coordinating a national response to control feral animals.

The inquiry also lobbied for a lumpy skin disease vaccine bank within the country.

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While Australia does not have research facilities with the ability to contain the much more contagious FMD virus, the committee suggested sending scientists to study the FMD vaccines being held for Australia in the United Kingdom.

Several recommendations aimed to better protect the nation's bee industry, which much of the agriculture sector relies on for pollination services, following the NSW varroa mite incursion.

Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, who pushed for varroa mite to be a key focus of the inquiry, urged the NSW government to accept its recommendation to publicly report the findings of its investigation into the origin of the Newcastle incursion.

"They're still not telling us, we got hints in Newcastle, but all they said is they're still investigating it," Senator Whish-Wilson said.

"We're assuming it came through the Port [of Newcastle] and we're talking about a range of potential policy measures based on that, like container levies, future response funding, management strategies - but it might have come through the mail.

"We can't learn from this and implement the right policies if we don't have the basic facts."

The inquiry was called for by the Nationals in July, when FMD disease fears were at a fevered pitch and both sides of politics claimed the other had reacted too slowly to the Indonesian outbreak.

"There was a lot of politics around this, but hopefully now we have agreement across party lines and we can keep our eye on the ball," Senator Whish-Wilson said.

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National Farmers Federation chief executive Tony Mahar said although Australia had a world-class biosecurity system, threats such as varroa mite do infiltrate the borders and have devastating impacts.

"The inquiry appears to have genuinely considered views from a range of stakeholders and we would expect to see these recommendations, if implemented, to complement the National Biosecurity Strategy," Mr Mahar said.

"We welcome the recommendations, especially the call for sustainable biosecurity funding, adding further weight to what the government is developing and what has been the missing piece in our strong yet complex biosecurity system."