Parcels being checked for foot-and-mouth disease but Australian government says border should not shut

Coalition offers conflicting messages on if Indonesia border should be closed despite industry advice it would do more harm than good'

• Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updates
• Get our free news app, morning email briefing and daily news podcast

The Albanese government has ordered that parcels from China and Indonesia be checked in mail centres as part of extraordinary biosecurity measures imposed to reduce the risks of any domestic outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

As the opposition issued conflicting messages on Monday about whether or not Australia should close the border with Indonesia, the agriculture minister, Murray Watt, warned any preemptory border closure could be a massive own goal for Australia's agricultural industry" because it could provoke trade reprisals from our near neighbour.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning