Senator HERRON (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs) (3:04 PM) —Earlier this afternoon I was asked a question by Senator Bartlett and I undertook to provide any further information that the minister had. I can add to the previous answer that I gave. The Minister for Health and Aged Care is aware of the statements made by Dr Trevor Doust of the National Registration Authority expecting tough new regulations to track and control the use of antibiotics in Australia and is also aware of the emergence of antibiotic resistant micro-organisms as a public health issue of growing national and international concern.

In April 1998 the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry was the minister appointed to the Joint Expert Technical Advisory Committee on Antibiotic Resistance to examine the use of antibiotics and food producing animals. The committee has examined the scientific evidence of a link between the use of antibiotics and food producing animals and the emergence and selection of antibiotic resistant bacteria and their spread to humans. Their final report is expected to be presented to either Minister Truss or Minister Wooldridge at the end of August this year. He will not be making any policy decisions on the run. The government will consider the report and will base any necessary policy changes on the best available scientific evidence.

Obviously, as I mentioned previously, the government is concerned about this issue, and Dr Wooldridge has already implemented within his portfolio the Quality Use of Medicines Program to ensure more appropriate prescribing of antibiotics. As a result, use of antibiotics has declined in recent times.