Vital biosecurity legislation on the move - and Canberra also acts on IRA promise
Cargo Archive Stories issue 232
Monday, 01 September 2014
THE FEDERAL government has decided to push ahead with the long-delayed Biosecurity Bill 2014.
It will replace the Quarantine Act and has been described by Agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce as “the biggest change to our biosecurity system in more than 100 years”.
As well as the Biosecurity Bill, the government also is making good on a 2013 election promise by opening consultation on the country’s Import Risk Analysis (IRA) process.
Both developments are of direct relevance to air cargo.
The IRA process helps identify and classify potential biosecurity risks and leads to the development of policies and protocols to manage import risks.
While the consultative period has the Department of Agriculture gathering information and feedback on the current IRA process it will also “consider the outcomes of the IRA examination in the development of processes for conducting import risk analysis under the Biosecurity Bill 2014,” according to a departmental advisory.
Joyce points out, unsurprisingly, that “the biosecurity risks Australia faces have changed significantly since the Quarantine Act was drafted in 1908, a period when policy makers had at the forefront of their minds protecting Australia from outbreaks of smallpox and the bubonic plague”.
With cargo and passenger traffic both likely to keep growing, “we need legislation that not only safeguards our primary industries and our environment from the increased threat of pest and disease, but also allows us to manage these threats in the most efficient way,” the minister noted.
Recognising the major importance of Australia’s biosecurity system, the new law will be administered by both the agriculture and health portfolios.
It aims to simplify and streamline biosecurity regulations while maintaining a high standard of protection.
The bill’s improvements include a reduction of more than A$6.9 million a year in business compliance costs because of clearer, easier-to-use legislation and the improved processes it will enable; new powers to allow the government to respond to biosecurity risks within Australia and help state and territory governments manage a nationally significant pest or disease outbreak, including in the national marine environment; and allowing the general compliance history of a business or individual to be considered when deciding whether to let them import products or undertake biosecurity activities. The current Quarantine Act allows only for assessment of the risks associated with the goods themselves.
Joyce said that during the committee inquiry a number of concerns were raised by stakeholders. Many of them had since been addressed, he claimed, but the importance of getting the law in good shape meant there would be further consultation.
“For the Australian economy, it means an increased capacity for sustained domestic production and international exports from a competitive and profitable agricultural sector.
“For the Australian community more broadly, it means everyone can continue to have confidence in the biosecurity systems that protect our nation.”
Joyce described the IRA as “a fundamental tool in maintaining the integrity” of Australia’s level of biosecurity protection. Ensuring it was “robust, transparent and scientifically based” was essential for farmers and exporters.
“It’s important that we maintain our relative freedom from harmful pests and diseases but it’s also important that we retain an IRA process that does not create trade barriers that contravene international trade rules.
“Like any process, there are always opportunities to improve and I acknowledge that significant concerns have been raised about the IRA process previously.”
He called on all stakeholders in the supply chain to provide input.
Vital biosecurity legislation on the move - and Canberra also acts on IRA promise
Cargo Archive Stories issue 232
Monday, 01 September 2014
THE FEDERAL government has decided to push ahead with the long-delayed Biosecurity Bill 2014.
It will replace the Quarantine Act and has been described by Agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce as “the biggest change to our biosecurity system in more than 100 years”.
As well as the Biosecurity Bill, the government also is making good on a 2013 election promise by opening consultation on the country’s Import Risk Analysis (IRA) process.
Both developments are of direct relevance to air cargo.
The IRA process helps identify and classify potential biosecurity risks and leads to the development of policies and protocols to manage import risks.
While the consultative period has the Department of Agriculture gathering information and feedback on the current IRA process it will also “consider the outcomes of the IRA examination in the development of processes for conducting import risk analysis under the Biosecurity Bill 2014,” according to a departmental advisory.
Joyce points out, unsurprisingly, that “the biosecurity risks Australia faces have changed significantly since the Quarantine Act was drafted in 1908, a period when policy makers had at the forefront of their minds protecting Australia from outbreaks of smallpox and the bubonic plague”.
With cargo and passenger traffic both likely to keep growing, “we need legislation that not only safeguards our primary industries and our environment from the increased threat of pest and disease, but also allows us to manage these threats in the most efficient way,” the minister noted.
Recognising the major importance of Australia’s biosecurity system, the new law will be administered by both the agriculture and health portfolios.
It aims to simplify and streamline biosecurity regulations while maintaining a high standard of protection.
The bill’s improvements include a reduction of more than A$6.9 million a year in business compliance costs because of clearer, easier-to-use legislation and the improved processes it will enable; new powers to allow the government to respond to biosecurity risks within Australia and help state and territory governments manage a nationally significant pest or disease outbreak, including in the national marine environment; and allowing the general compliance history of a business or individual to be considered when deciding whether to let them import products or undertake biosecurity activities. The current Quarantine Act allows only for assessment of the risks associated with the goods themselves.
Joyce said that during the committee inquiry a number of concerns were raised by stakeholders. Many of them had since been addressed, he claimed, but the importance of getting the law in good shape meant there would be further consultation.
“For the Australian economy, it means an increased capacity for sustained domestic production and international exports from a competitive and profitable agricultural sector.
“For the Australian community more broadly, it means everyone can continue to have confidence in the biosecurity systems that protect our nation.”
Joyce described the IRA as “a fundamental tool in maintaining the integrity” of Australia’s level of biosecurity protection. Ensuring it was “robust, transparent and scientifically based” was essential for farmers and exporters.
“It’s important that we maintain our relative freedom from harmful pests and diseases but it’s also important that we retain an IRA process that does not create trade barriers that contravene international trade rules.
“Like any process, there are always opportunities to improve and I acknowledge that significant concerns have been raised about the IRA process previously.”
He called on all stakeholders in the supply chain to provide input.
