There are no plans to mobilise the ADF in the event of a domestic outbreak of foot and mouth disease, Agriculture Minister Murray Watt says.
While there have been no domestic cases of the highly contagious disease, which affects cloven-hoofed livestock, authorities are working to prevent it entering the country after an outbreak in Indonesia.
"At this point, we don't believe it's necessary to have the ADF involved if we do have an outbreak," Senator Watt told Sydney radio 2GB on Wednesday.
"Of course if things changed, we would immediately do that - just as we have with the NSW floods.
"But basically there is a very well-developed plan put together by the federal government with the states and territories about how we manage any biosecurity outbreak."
In Question Time, Nationals leader David Littleproud asked if thousands of passengers who travelled from Indonesia had entered the country without proper screening, "making a bad situation worse".
Representing Senator Watt, Labor minister Catherine King defended the government's handling of the crisis.
"We know that this is a serious threat to Australia's biosecurity and this government has put in place the most serious measures the most comprehensive measures of any government if that we have ever seen," she said.
Despite criticism the government was slow to install sanitising foot mats at airports in response to the threat, Senator Watt said all of Australia's international terminals were now using them.
"These foot mats are not the kind of things you can just roll down to Bunnings and pick up and throw in your ute," he said.
"We've had to put in a special order for those to make sure they're industrial-scale mats that are not widely available because they are going to be having heavy traffic walking over them at the airports."
More passengers coming into the country from Indonesia are also being profiled by security, Senator Watt said.
"If there is anything at all to suggest that they are a risk of doing the wrong thing with biosecurity, they are stopped, they are searched, they are questioned, their luggage is looked at," he said.
Meanwhile, penalties for bringing meat products into Australia which could contain live viral fragments have been stiffened.
In one instance, a woman caught bringing in a Subway sandwich was fined $2500.
Australia's international border will remain open amid the overseas outbreaks.
Senator Watt said calls to shut the border are damaging the nation's agricultural reputation and causing hysteria.
Industry leaders have reported questions from export partners over whether or not the disease is spreading in Australia.
Australian Associated Press
