On 2 February 2016, the Senate referred the following matter to the Environment and Communications References Committee for inquiry:

The risks and opportunities associated with the use of the bumblebee population in Tasmania for commercial pollination purposes, including:

(a) the existing distribution and population density of exotic bumblebees;

(b) productivity and economic benefits of the commercial use of bumblebees for agricultural producers;

(c) the potential environmental impacts associated with the commercial use of bumblebees, including whether their use is likely to:

i. impact the conservation status of a species or ecological

community,

ii. impact biodiversity,

iii. cause unintended ecological impacts, and

iv. contribute to a wider distribution of bumblebees;

(d) the implications for Australia's biosecurity regime of any approval to use bumblebees in Tasmania for commercial purposes;

(e) the potential economic outcomes;

(f) the effectiveness of alternative pollination options; and

(g) any other related matters.