Biosecurity Act 2015

The Director of Biosecurity may arrange for the use, under the Director of Biosecurity’s control, of computer programs for any purposes for which a biosecurity officer may or must:

make a decision under a relevant provision of this Act specified in a determination made under subsection (2); or

exercise any power or comply with any obligation related to making a decision referred to in paragraph (a); or

do anything else related to making a decision referred to in paragraph (a), or related to exercising a power or complying with an obligation referred to in paragraph (b).

For relevant provision, see subsection (9).

The Director of Biosecurity may, by legislative instrument, determine:

each relevant provision of this Act under which a decision may be made by the operation of a computer program under an arrangement made under subsection (1); and

the classes of persons that may use a computer program under such an arrangement for any purposes referred to in subsection (1); and

the conditions of that use.

For variation and revocation of a determination made under this section, see subsection 33(3) of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901.

The Director of Biosecurity must take reasonable steps to ensure that decisions (electronic decisions) made by the operation of a computer program under an arrangement made under subsection (1) are consistent with the objects of this Act.

The Director of Biosecurity must take reasonable steps to ensure that an electronic decision is based on grounds on the basis of which a biosecurity officer could have made that decision. However, an electronic decision may be made without any state of mind being formed in relation to a matter to which the decision relates.

The Director of Biosecurity is taken to have:

made a decision; or

exercised a power or complied with an obligation; or

done something else related to the making of a decision or exercise of a power or compliance with an obligation;

A decision that the Director of Biosecurity is taken to have made because of subsection (5) is not a decision made by the Director of Biosecurity personally for the purposes of section 576 or 578.

Sections 576 and 578 deal with review of decisions.

A biosecurity officer may make a decision in substitution for an electronic decision if a biosecurity officer is satisfied that:

the electronic decision is not consistent with the objects of this Act; or

another decision is more appropriate in the circumstances.

An electronic decision made in relation to a thing is of no effect to the extent that it is inconsistent with an earlier decision (other than an electronic decision) made in relation to the thing by a biosecurity officer or the Director of Biosecurity under this Act.

For the purposes of this section, each of the following is a relevant provision of this Act:

subsections 49(4) and (5) (negative pratique);

a provision of Chapter 3 (managing biosecurity risks: goods) (other than section 154, subsection 157(1) or paragraph 162(1)(a));

a provision of Chapter 4 (managing biosecurity risks: conveyances) (other than subsection 192(6), paragraph 218(1)(a) or section 223 or 229);

a provision of Chapter 5 (ballast water and sediment) (other than section 280 or 303);

section 557 (permission to engage in certain conduct);

sections 600 and 602 (withholding goods that are subject to charge);

a provision of an instrument made for the purposes of a provision covered by any of paragraphs (a) to (f) of this subsection.