Joyce rejects biosecurity blind spot claim

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has rejected claims cuts to the foreign aid budget have exposed Australia to the increased risk of infectious diseases.

The agriculture minister played down criticism from the Australian Council for International Development.

"We are making sure that we have secure borders and we are very aware of potential threats," Mr Joyce told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday.

Rabies from Indonesia, drug-resistant tuberculosis from Papua New Guinea, the mosquito-borne Zika virus, malaria, and foot and mouth disease are among major border risks.

The government has slashed the aid budget by $11.3 billion since it came to power in 2013.

The council argues cuts to health spending in the region meant less tracking and surveillance of disease outbreaks, which could stymie preventative action on the mainland.

Mr Joyce said he had spent time in far north Queensland with authorities charged with watching out for incursions from PNG.

He insists their efforts are vigilant.

When biosecurity incursions did happen, flying squads were ready to act quickly, he said.

Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek said aid investments "made Australia safer and secure".

"If our neighbours have weak health systems of course we are at higher risk," she told reporters.

Explosions in HIV rates, drug-resistant malaria, tuberculosis, Zika virus not only threatened the mainland but also Australians travelling across the region.