The WA opposition says plans to deploy police and firefighters to combat potential outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease will heap pressure on already overstretched emergency services.
The McGowan government currently has a team of 70 people working on a plan to prepare for potential outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease and lumpy skin disease, which both affect cattle.
Part of the plan includes immediate deployment of more than 700 people as part of the initial response if the diseases entered WA, which farmers have warned will have far-reaching consequences for the industry.
"We may require some emergency services and police personnel to help with the response if we have to close the borders to interstate livestock to enforce livestock quarantine zones," agriculture and food minister Alannah MacTiernan said.
The state government said the plan would otherwise primarily rely on staff from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.
But the state opposition said their understanding of the plan would see the "majority" of the task force personnel drawn from emergency services.
Staff already 'well and truly stretched'
Shadow Agriculture and Food Minister Colin de Grussa has criticised the plan for putting further pressure on departments that are "already well and truly stretched".
"Surely those resources would be pulled from other government agencies, or elsewhere, without putting pressure on our emergency services who are already struggling," he said.
Firefighters and police officers were already deployed to bolster St John WA ambulance services earlier this year to address record ambulance ramping.
WA Police have also experienced a significant increase in resignations amid allegations of poor work culture from the police union.
Mr de Grussa received a briefing about the Department's plan to address FMD yesterday, but hit out at the state government for failing to communicate their plans clearly with the public.
"You would think after two years of COVID where we've seen the Premier almost every day … you would think that there is expertise within government to be able to communicate what is happening with foot-and-mouth disease," he said.
Outbreak to trigger 'livestock lockdown'
Agriculture Minister Alannah MacTiernan said adequate resources are being put towards addressing the risks of FMD entering the state.
"Under a nationally agreed plan, a 72-hour livestock lockdown would likely be put into effect, to allow contact tracing to occur and affected properties to be quarantined," she said.
"While we are doing everything we can to prevent the disease getting here, in the event of an outbreak, we will throw every resource at crushing the virus before it spreads."
Opposition leader Mia Davies relayed a sentiment of lost confidence in Ms MacTiernan from the agriculture sector.
"We have the agriculture industry questioning the commitment of the minister for agriculture and her understanding of just how serious the FMD issues are for our state and nation," she said.
"We think that it's time for a fresh set of eyes in relation to agriculture.
"The industry no longer has confidence in her ability to understand and also deliver what they need at a time of, what quite frankly, is a crisis."
But Premier Mark McGowan has backed Ms MacTiernan as a competent minister, despite community backlash after she played down fears of the impact of FMD and said it would make meat and dairy cheaper.
"She's used some words that she's apologised for," Mr McGowan said.
"I think people need to, maybe, move on from that and understand that we have a range of measures in place to deal with foot-and-mouth disease.
"She works very hard and she's deeply committed to agricultural industries and regional communities across the state."
