Queensland govt claims a share of bioprospecting

The Queensland parliament has passed legislation which allows the Queensland government to regulate the collection of native biological materials for molecular, biochemical or genetic analysis.

The BioDiscovery Bill 2004 -- passed by parliament on August 19 -- introduces a regime under which organisations using the native biological material of state land and waters for commercialisation purposes must enter into commercial benefit sharing agreements with the Queensland state government.

The bill aims to:

• facilitate sustainable access by biodiscovery entities to the state’s native biological resources for biodiscovery
• encourage the development in the state of value added biodiscovery
• ensure the State obtains a fair and equitable share in the benefits of biodiscovery on behalf of all Queenslanders; and
• enhance the knowledge of the State’s native biological diversity promoting conservation and sustainable use of these resources.