Draft Regulations for the Biosecurity Bill 2012 and the Inspector–General of Biosecurity Bill 2012 are available for public comment.
Deputy Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Ms Rona Mellor, said the new legislation was designed to support a responsive biosecurity system that intervened where risk needed to be managed: off–shore, at the border and on–shore.
‘During consultation on the primary legislation, interested parties said they wanted to better understand how it would work in practice. These regulations will help to inform the community,’ Ms Mellor said.
‘As draft regulations are released, we will continue to engage those people and groups who work with us to manage Australia’s biosecurity system and those who rely on the outcomes of good biosecurity management,’ Ms Mellor said.
‘Today’s release of the draft Biosecurity Regulation (Biosecurity Import Risk Analysis) 2013 and the draft Inspector–General of Biosecurity Regulation 2013 provides stakeholders an opportunity to consider these and provide input.’
Subject to passage of the Biosecurity Bill 2012 and Inspector–General of Biosecurity Bill 2012, the full package of regulations is proposed to be re–released during a formal consultation period.
The DAFF website has more information about the draft regulations.