Parkinson’s Australia has welcomed the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry into a government watchdog’s failure to ban a herbicide that is linked to Parkinson’s Disease and has been banned in 70 countries.
After three decades of reviews and mounting scientific studies, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) announced in June that it would not ban the chemical paraquat, opting only for tighter controls.
However, following Parkinson’s Australia’s advocacy campaign, a parliamentary inquiry into the decision will commence.
Senator David Pocock successfully launched an inquiry into the APVMA’s decision to continue the use of paraquat in Australia.
He did this yesterday (Tuesday 8 September) with support from the Greens and the Coalition.
The inquiry will look into the evidence and relationship between paraquat and Parkinson’s.
Parkinson’s Australia and Senator Pocock’s office will continue to work closely together in the lead-up to the inquiry.
Image: Vine Vineyard Culture – Free photo on Pixabay
