15 March 2022
Who does this notice affect?
Importers and customs brokers wishing to book and manage import inspections in Qld, NT and SA can book inspections via a new Biosecurity Portal from 16 March 2022.
The Biosecurity Portal is being rolled out in phases and it will be available to other regions in coming months. Industry notices will advise ahead of time when the Portal will be launched for NSW/ACT, WA and Vic.
What has changed?
The Department is working to deliver a client and workload management capability to support a cost effective, modern and client focused service delivery model across biosecurity operations. This work is being carried out in close consultation with industry.
A key part of this work is the introduction of the Biosecurity Portal which will allow importers and customs brokers to request an inspection booking, view, and manage inspections at any time in a centralised online location. The Portal will streamline the current manual and resource intensive email process, reducing industry’s effort in managing and tracking inspection requests. The Portal will also allow industry to view direction information issued by the Department. This ability to make and manage inspection booking requests and view direction information via an online system is the first function in a broader scope of work intended to modernise and improve the biosecurity system for clients.
To make sure the Biosecurity Portal suits industry needs, a small number of importers started using the new system in late 2021. The Portal has evolved following its initial limited release and it is ready to be rolled out in phases across Australia in the coming months.
Who is supported by the Biosecurity Portal?
The Biosecurity Portal currently supports all Approved Arrangements, customs brokers, and importers seeking to make import inspections for goods they are importing into Australia. At this stage, clients who require bulk booking or airway bill requests, operate manned depots, or do not have an ABN should not use the Biosecurity Portal and should continue to use the existing email-based system.
From 16 March 2022 the Biosecurity Portal will be available for use in Qld, NT and SA. It will be made available to other regions in subsequent months.
What do you need to do?
Importers and customs brokers from Qld, NT and SA will need to set up or use an already existing myGovID account linked to their organisation via Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM) to access the secure Biosecurity Portal. This only needs to be done once.
Please refer to the Biosecurity Portal webpage for further information on how to authenticate your profile via myGovID and RAM to begin to make bookings via the Portal.
If you need assistance with myGovID registration or Biosecurity Portal usage, please contact biosecurityportal@aff.gov.au.
Users from other regions should continue to use the existing email-based system until notified.
Further information
More information on the Biosecurity Portal including its functions and how to use it can be found on the Biosecurity Portal webpage.
Enquiries can be directed to biosecurityportal@aff.gov.au