Biosecurity Act 2015

This section applies for the purposes of preventing a behaviour or practice that:

may cause a listed human disease to enter, or emerge, establish itself or spread in, Australian territory or a part of Australian territory; or

may contribute to a listed human disease entering, or emerging, establishing itself or spreading in, Australian territory or a part of Australian territory.

The Health Minister may make a determination that specifies any one or more of the following biosecurity measures to be taken by specified classes of persons:

banning or restricting a behaviour or practice;

requiring a behaviour or practice;

requiring a specified person to provide a specified report or keep specified records;

conducting specified tests on specified goods.

A person who fails to comply with a biosecurity measure may contravene a civil penalty provision (see section 52).

The Director of Human Biosecurity may authorise State or Territory officers or employees to be biosecurity enforcement officers for the purposes of ensuring compliance with biosecurity measures that are specified (see sections 548 and 549).

The determination must specify the behaviour or practice, and the listed human disease, referred to in subsection (1).

A determination made under subsection (2) is a legislative instrument, but section 42 (disallowance) of the Legislation Act 2003 does not apply to the instrument.

A biosecurity measure must not be specified in a determination unless the Health Minister is satisfied that the biosecurity measure is appropriate and adapted to prevent, or reduce the risk of, the disease entering, or emerging, establishing itself or spreading in, Australian territory or a part of Australian territory.

A determination must specify the period during which it is in force, which must not be more than 1 year.

Before making a determination, the Health Minister must consult with:

the Minister of each State and Territory with responsibility for human health; and

the Director of Biosecurity.