The federal government's turnaround on beef imports from countries affected by mad cow disease is a "big step" towards restoring public confidence, the opposition says.

Agriculture Minister Tony Burke on Monday ordered an import risk analysis on beef imports.

The government, which last week lifted its ban on beef imports from countries affected by bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), had argued the analysis was unnecessary, as new protocols were tough enough.

The opposition's agriculture spokesman John Cobb says while the risk analysis is welcome, the coalition will still introduce a private member's bill to ensure country-of-origin labelling.

"The public have the right to know whether they're buying the safest meat in the world, Australia's, or whether they're buying beef from other countries," he told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday.

The coalition also wants potential beef importers to have rules as tough as those for beef exporters in Australia.

"Some of the people that are pushing this from overseas simply want to be able to go to Korea and Japan and say ... the toughest regime in the world lets our beef in, therefore you don't have to worry (about ours)," he said.

"I think we have every right to insist upon the same protocols for others as we insist in legislation currently for own producers."

Nationals senator Fiona Nash, who chaired a Senate inquiry into the government plan to relax beef import rules, described the decision as a win for commonsense.

"The government should have realised long ago, as we did, that this was the right thing to do," she told reporters.

Nationals colleague John Williams said two issues remain to be resolved: ensuring a trace forward, trace back system, and labelling transparency.

Australian Greens senator Christine Milne wants the community to become involved in the analysis process during the next few years.

"Because we want to make sure that Australians are protected, that public health is protected," she said.

© 2010 AAP