30 March 2022
Who does this notice affect?
This notice affects biosecurity industry participants who hold an approved arrangement under Chapter 7 of the Biosecurity Act 2015.
What has changed?
The Approved Arrangement General Policies document has been revised to better reflect the department’s risk-based approach to regulation. The department will continue to focus compliance monitoring activities on areas of greater risk and, where appropriate, will recognise good compliance with reduced audit rates. The revisions provide biosecurity industry participants with greater clarity regarding arrangement suspension-related processes and audit activities. Revisions include:
- Biosecurity industry participants must be in full compliance with their arrangement at the end of a suspension period.
- The department may vary a period of suspension.
- A biosecurity industry participant may request revocation of, and the department may revoke, a suspension prior to the end of the period specified in a notice of suspension.
- The department will carry out an audit prior to the end of a department-imposed suspension.
- Following a voluntary suspension, an audit by the department may not be required depending on the reasons for, and circumstances of, the suspension.
- Additional guidance is provided on the application of different audit rates.
- Following the approval or variation of an arrangement, the department may not require a second probation audit where the first probation audit is passed with no identified noncompliance.
Note: The revisions and clarifications to audit activities do not apply to approved arrangements for Class 19.1 Non-commodity for Containerised Cargo Clearance or Class 19.2 Automatic Entry Processing for Commodities.
Further information
Version 7.2 of the Approved Arrangement General Policies document came into effect on 2 March 2022 and is available on the department’s website.