Biosecurity Act 2015

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Biosecurity Act 2015
Parliament of Australia
Passed15 May 2015
Enacted16 June 2015
Royal assent16 June 2015
Legislative history
Introduced2014[1]
Summary
The Biosecurity Act 2015 supersedes the Quarantine Act 1908 and manages biosecurity risks in Australia.
Status: Current legislation

The Biosecurity Act 2015 is an

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.

History

The Act replaced most of the Quarantine Act 1908,[2] which was wholly repealed on 16 June 2016 by the Biosecurity (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Act 2015.[3][4][5] The new Act is a major reform of the Quarantine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.[6]

As recommended by the Beale Review (One Biosecurity: A Working Partnership, Roger Beale et al., 2008[7][8]) and the earlier Nairn Report,[9] the Act adopts a risk-based approach, but includes several measures to manage unacceptable levels of biosecurity risk.[6] 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.[10]

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.[6]

Amendments and related legislation

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.[11] 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.[12]

Description

The Act is about "managing diseases and pests that may cause harm to human, animal or plant health or the environment" in Australia. There are chapters which cover management of risks in several areas, including:[5]

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.[5][13]

Biosecurity emergencies

Chapter 8, Part 2 of the Act deals with "emergencies involving threats or harm to human health on a nationally significant scale". This chapter deals with special powers which exist as well as the powers available under Chapter 2. "The Governor‑General may make a human biosecurity emergency declaration if the Health Minister is satisfied that the special powers in this Part are needed to deal with a human biosecurity emergency. The Health Minister may exercise special powers under this Part to deal with a human biosecurity emergency, subject to limits and protections. These powers may be exercised anywhere in Australian territory".[5]

Similar emergency powers are given to the Governor-General and Agriculture Minister for other types of biosecurity emergencies, in Chapter 8, Par 1. In addition, the Agriculture Minister may "declare Commonwealth bodies, or parts of Commonwealth bodies, to be national response agencies for the purposes of dealing with biosecurity emergencies", and some of the Minister's powers may be delegated to staff in the national response agencies.[5]

Scope

An article on the parliamentary website explains the scope the Health Minister's powers under the Act under sections 477 and 478. The minister may:[13]

• set requirements to regulate or restrict the movement of persons, goods, or conveyances

• require that places be evacuated

• make directions to close premises.

The powers are not limited to these circumstances. Under the Biosecurity Act, provided that the Minister is satisfied that an action is necessary to either combat the listed human disease (in this case, COVID-19) or to implement WHO recommendations in relation to that disease, the Minister may make a direction or set a requirement to ensure that action takes place.

However, the Minister may not impose certain biosecurity obligations on an individual, such as requiring them to undergo a medical examination, requiring body samples for diagnosis, or requiring them to receive specified treatment or medication. Such measures can only be authorised under a human biosecurity control order, made by the Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer or a biosecurity officer in relation to a person who may have a listed human disease (including COVID-19).

However, Sub-section 478(5) places limits on interference with

state and territory bodies and officials: "A direction must not be given under subsection (1) to an officer or employee of a State, Territory or State or Territory body unless the direction is in accordance with an agreement between the Commonwealth and the State, Territory or body". (For the COVID-19 pandemic, an intergovernmental agreement was signed.)[13]

Invocations

2020 invocation of state of emergency

See also: Biosecurity in Australia § 2020: Coronavirus

On 18 March 2020,

Health Minister (at the time Greg Hunt; as of October 2022 Mark Butler) is satisfied that "a listed human disease is posing a severe and immediate threat, or is causing harm, to human health on a nationally significant scale". This gives the Minister sweeping powers, including imposing restrictions or preventing the movement of people and goods between specified places, and evacuations.[2] The Biosecurity (Human Biosecurity Emergency) (Human Coronavirus with Pandemic Potential) Declaration 2020 was declared by the Governor-General, David Hurley, under Section 475 of the Act.[14] The Act only allows for three months, but the period may be extended for a further three if the Governor-General is satisfied that it is required.[2][13]

The Biosecurity (Human Biosecurity Emergency) (Human Coronavirus with Pandemic Potential) (Emergency Requirements) Determination 2020, made by the Health Minister on the same day under Section 477 of the Act, banned international cruise ships from entering Australian ports before 15 April 2020.[13]

On 25 March 2020, the Health Minister made a second determination, the Biosecurity (Human Biosecurity Emergency) (Human Coronavirus with Pandemic Potential) (Overseas Travel Ban Emergency Requirements) Determination 2020, which "forbids Australian citizens and permanent residents from leaving Australian territory by air or sea as a passenger".[13]

On 25 April 2020, the Biosecurity (Human Biosecurity Emergency) (Human Coronavirus with Pandemic Potential) (Emergency Requirements—Public Health Contact Information) Determination 2020, made under subsection 477(1) of the Act, was signed into law by the Health Minister.[15] The purpose of the new legislation is "to make contact tracing faster and more effective by encouraging public acceptance and uptake of COVIDSafe", COVIDSafe being the new mobile app created for the purpose. The function of the app is to record contact between any two people who both have the app on their phones when they come within 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) of each other. The encrypted data would remain on the phone for 21 days of not encountering a person logged with confirmed COVID-19.[16]

Investigation into breach by Ruby Princess

On 5 April 2020,

New South Wales Police launched a criminal investigation into whether the operator of Ruby Princess, Carnival Australia, broke the Biosecurity Act 2015 (Cwth) and possibly NSW state laws, by deliberately concealing COVID-19 cases.[17]

2021 India flight ban

Late on 30 April 2021, after some days earlier imposing a ban on all flights from India, which was experiencing a

racist by some critics,[21] and a potential breach of international human rights law.[22] On 3 May 2021 the government announced that it would review this decision earlier than originally intended, possibly within the same week.[20] There were about 9,000 Australian citizens in India, of whom 650 were considered vulnerable.[19]

On 7 May 2021 Morrison announced that the flight ban would end on 15 May and that repatriation flights to the Northern Territory would start on this date.[23] A legal challenge to the ban was due to be heard in the Federal Court in Sydney on 12 May 2021,[24] part of the challenge was rejected on 10 May.[25]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Biosecurity Bill 2014". Federal Register of Legislation. Australian Government. 28 November 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2020. Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
  2. ^ a b c McPhee, Sarah (17 March 2020). "Human biosecurity emergency declared in Australia". NewsComAu. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  3. ^ "Quarantine Act 1908". Federal Register of Legislation. Australian Government. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  4. ^ "Biosecurity (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Act 2015". Federal Register of Legislation. Australian Government. 27 September 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Biosecurity Act 2015". Federal Register of Legislation. Australian Government. 7 March 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2020. Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
  6. ^ a b c "The Biosecurity Act 2015 - more than 100 years in the making, a shift to risk-based regulation, and activation of the Regulatory Powers Act". Maddocks. 15 June 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  7. ^ Beal, Roger. "The Beale Review of Biosecurity". Issues Magazine. Archived from the original on 13 July 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2020. ...an edited version of Chapter 1 of One Biosecurity: A Working Partnership (the Beale review).
  8. ISBN 978-0-9803714-5-1, The independent review of Australia's quarantine and biosecurity arrangements report to the Australian Government. Full text here
  9. PMID 29978659
    .
  10. ^ "Vessel Reporting Requirements and the Biosecurity Act". Australian Government. Department of Agriculture. 16 June 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  11. ^ "Biosecurity Act 2015: Principal and Amendments". Federal Register of Legislation. Australian Government. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  12. ^ The New South Wales Bar Association (20 March 2019). "COVID-19". New South Wales Bar Association. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  13. ^ a b c d e f Maclean, Howard; Elphick, Karen (27 March 2020). "COVID-19 Biosecurity Emergency Declaration". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  14. ^ a b Biosecurity (Human Biosecurity Emergency) (Human Coronavirus with Pandemic Potential) Declaration 2020 (PDF) (Report). Commonwealth of Australia. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  15. ^ "Biosecurity (Human Biosecurity Emergency) (Human Coronavirus with Pandemic Potential) (Emergency Requirements—Public Health Contact Information) Determination 2020". Federal Register of Legislation. Australian Government. 25 April 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  16. ^ Worthington, t Brett (26 April 2020). "Coronavirus tracing app COVIDSafe released by Government to halt spread of COVID-19 in Australia". ABC News. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  17. ^ Nguyen, Kevin; Thomas, Sarah (5 April 2020). "Homicide detectives launch criminal probe into coronavirus ship deaths". ABC News. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  18. ^ Duran, Pauline (1 May 2021). "Australia bans arrivals from India, says offenders face jail, fines". Reuters. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  19. ^ a b Martin, Sarah (3 May 2021). "Australians could die from Covid in India under travel ban, medical chief warns". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  20. ^ a b Murphy, Katharine (1 May 2021). "Covid crisis: Australians trying to return home from India face up to $66,000 fine or five years' jail". the Guardian. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  21. ^ "Australia's India ban criticised as 'racist' rights breach". BBC News. 3 May 2021. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  22. ^ Kagi, Jacob (1 May 2021). "Critics blast federal government's 'immoral and un-Australian' ban on citizens returning from India". ABC News. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  23. ^ Hitch, Georgia (7 May 2021). "Scott Morrison says repatriation flights will begin as soon as India COVID travel ban ends". ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  24. ^ Probyn, Andrew (5 May 2021). "Indian travel ban headed to court as Australian stuck in Bangalore launches legal challenge". ABC News. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  25. ^ Byrne, Elizabeth (10 May 2021). "Federal Court dismisses part of a challenge to the Australian Government's India travel ban". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 27 August 2021.

External links

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