REGULATING gene technology is a hot issue on both sides of the Tasman. New
Zealand has just launched a Royal Commission into the area, with the government
calling for a one-year moratorium on release of genetically modified organisms
(GMOs) while it is in progress. And in Australia, the approach proposed by the
Federal government has drawn a heated response from at least one state
premier.
Former chief justice Sir Thomas Eichelbaum heads New Zealand’s Royal
Commission on Genetic Modification. The other members are an academic
biochemist, a Maori health expert and a minister of religion. They have a budget
of…
