Biosecurity Act 2015

The Governor‑General may declare that a biosecurity emergency exists if the Agriculture Minister is satisfied that:

a disease or pest is posing a severe and immediate threat, or is causing harm, to any of the following on a nationally significant scale:

animal or plant health;

the environment;

economic activities related to animals, plants or the environment; and

the declaration is necessary to prevent or control the establishment or spread of the disease or pest in Australian territory or a part of Australian territory.

The declaration is a biosecurity emergency declaration (see section 9).

This Part does not apply in relation to invasive pests (see subsection 25(2)).

For revocation, see subsections 33(3) and (3AA) of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901.

A biosecurity emergency declaration may be varied under section 444. Subsection 33(3) of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901 does not apply in relation to variation of a biosecurity emergency declaration.

A biosecurity emergency declaration is a legislative instrument, but section 42 (disallowance) of the Legislation Act 2003 does not apply to the declaration.

A biosecurity emergency declaration must specify:

the disease or pest to which the declaration relates; and

the nature of the biosecurity emergency and the conditions that gave rise to it; and

the period during which the declaration is in force.

The disease or pest specified under paragraph (3)(a) is the declaration disease or pest (see section 9).

The period specified under paragraph (3)(c) is the biosecurity emergency period (see section 9).

A biosecurity emergency period:

must not be longer than the period that the Agriculture Minister considers necessary to prevent or control the establishment or spread of the declaration disease or pest in Australian territory or a part of Australian territory; and

in any case, must not be longer than 3 months.

A biosecurity emergency period may be extended under section 444.

The Governor‑General must revoke a biosecurity emergency declaration if the Agriculture Minister is no longer satisfied of a matter in paragraph (1)(a) or (b).