To uphold Australia’s high biosecurity standards, over the past year we have ramped up our enforcement response to non compliance. Recent updates to the Biosecurity Act include additional measures to address non-compliance more effectively, which includes:
- civil sanctions including infringement notices
- single provision for suspending or permanently revoking approved arrangements.
In collaboration with our border agency partners, we’ve been supporting joint actions such as licence cancellations.
Additionally, we’ve introduced enforceable undertakings to our suite of proportionate responses to non-compliance. Enforceable undertakings are voluntary, legally binding agreements to address non-compliant behaviour, established after negotiation with the involved parties. If breached, enforceable undertakings can be enforced by the Federal Court.
These new enforcement actions involve our investigators, auditors, biosecurity officers and responsible entities. Since January 2023, we’ve entered into 13 enforceable undertakings and issued $150,240 in infringements to holders of approved arrangements.
We will continue to work with stakeholders to detect non-compliance, respond effectively and proportionately, to help prevent further breaches of the legislation the department administers. To learn more about our compliance and enforcement tools, visit our website.
