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Biosecurity Act 2015
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Biosecurity Act 2015
The Biosecurity Act 2015 is an Act of the Parliament of Australia which manages biosecurity risks in Australia at the national border. It was enacted on 16 June 2015, after the Bill was passed with bipartisan support on 14 May 2015. It covers both agricultural and human medical biosecurity risks, including epidemics and pandemics, and is designed to contain and/or deal with any "diseases and pests that may cause harm to human, animal or plant health or the environment" in Australia.
The application of the Act was particularly tested during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.
The Act replaced most of the Quarantine Act 1908, which was wholly repealed on 16 June 2016 by the Biosecurity (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Act 2015. The new Act is a major reform of the Quarantine Act, in particular in its strengthening and modernising the existing framework of regulations governing biosecurity legislation in Australia.
As recommended by the Beale Review (One Biosecurity: A Working Partnership, Roger Beale et al., 2008) and the earlier Nairn Report, the Act adopts a risk-based approach, but includes several measures to manage unacceptable levels of biosecurity risk. New requirements include how the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (at the time of enactment, Department of Agriculture and Water Resources) would manage biosecurity risks associated with goods, people and vessels entering Australia.
The Biosecurity Bill 2014 passed through parliament on 14 May 2015 with bipartisan support. The Act did not radically change operational functions, but were more clearly described, with the aim of being easier to use and reducing the complexity of administering it. The main change relate was the compliance and enforcement of powers.
The Act has been amended a number of times, with the latest amended, as of 25 March 2020, being the Coronavirus Economic Response Package Omnibus Act 2020, which also affects other legislation. Also related to the Act are the Biosecurity Charges Imposition (General) Act 2015, Biosecurity Regulation 2016, Biosecurity (Human Health) Regulation 2016, and Biosecurity Charges Imposition (General) Regulation 2016.
The Act is about "managing diseases and pests that may cause harm to human, animal or plant health or the environment" in Australia however has no jurisdiction within Australia as biosecurity is a sovereign right of the States under the Australian Constitution and s focused on preventing the entry of new pests and diseases and managing ‘Commonwealth land’ such as ports and defence force sites, There are chapters which cover management of risks in several areas, including:
Part 3 (Section 344) states that the Director of Human Biosecurity is the person acting in the capacity of Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer (CMO), and this person has certain powers conferred upon them by this Act. Part 4 deals with human biosecurity officers. The CMO may, under Section 563 of the Act, make members of the Australian Defence Force, as well as officers and employees of the federal and state departments of health, human biosecurity officers, if satisfied that they have appropriate clinical expertise.
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Biosecurity Act 2015
The Biosecurity Act 2015 is an Act of the Parliament of Australia which manages biosecurity risks in Australia at the national border. It was enacted on 16 June 2015, after the Bill was passed with bipartisan support on 14 May 2015. It covers both agricultural and human medical biosecurity risks, including epidemics and pandemics, and is designed to contain and/or deal with any "diseases and pests that may cause harm to human, animal or plant health or the environment" in Australia.
The application of the Act was particularly tested during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.
The Act replaced most of the Quarantine Act 1908, which was wholly repealed on 16 June 2016 by the Biosecurity (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Act 2015. The new Act is a major reform of the Quarantine Act, in particular in its strengthening and modernising the existing framework of regulations governing biosecurity legislation in Australia.
As recommended by the Beale Review (One Biosecurity: A Working Partnership, Roger Beale et al., 2008) and the earlier Nairn Report, the Act adopts a risk-based approach, but includes several measures to manage unacceptable levels of biosecurity risk. New requirements include how the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (at the time of enactment, Department of Agriculture and Water Resources) would manage biosecurity risks associated with goods, people and vessels entering Australia.
The Biosecurity Bill 2014 passed through parliament on 14 May 2015 with bipartisan support. The Act did not radically change operational functions, but were more clearly described, with the aim of being easier to use and reducing the complexity of administering it. The main change relate was the compliance and enforcement of powers.
The Act has been amended a number of times, with the latest amended, as of 25 March 2020, being the Coronavirus Economic Response Package Omnibus Act 2020, which also affects other legislation. Also related to the Act are the Biosecurity Charges Imposition (General) Act 2015, Biosecurity Regulation 2016, Biosecurity (Human Health) Regulation 2016, and Biosecurity Charges Imposition (General) Regulation 2016.
The Act is about "managing diseases and pests that may cause harm to human, animal or plant health or the environment" in Australia however has no jurisdiction within Australia as biosecurity is a sovereign right of the States under the Australian Constitution and s focused on preventing the entry of new pests and diseases and managing ‘Commonwealth land’ such as ports and defence force sites, There are chapters which cover management of risks in several areas, including:
Part 3 (Section 344) states that the Director of Human Biosecurity is the person acting in the capacity of Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer (CMO), and this person has certain powers conferred upon them by this Act. Part 4 deals with human biosecurity officers. The CMO may, under Section 563 of the Act, make members of the Australian Defence Force, as well as officers and employees of the federal and state departments of health, human biosecurity officers, if satisfied that they have appropriate clinical expertise.
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