Biosecurity Advocacy Update
As communicated in past national newsflashes, IFCBAA met in Canberra with Andrew Metcalfe -Secretary, Andrew Tongue - Deputy Secretary and Colin Hunter - First Assistant Secretary, Biosecurity Operations from the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE) to discuss the current issues and performance levels in key department groups that impact on trade facilitation at the border. As suggested by IFCBAA at the meeting, the Secretary agreed to host a roundtable meetings to further explore short and longer-term solutions for improvements to the biosecurity systems and service.
Meeting with First Assistant Secretary, Biosecurity Operations and Senior Executives – 17 February 2021
As part of our ongoing biosecurity advocacy, our CEO Paul Damkjaer and I met with Colin Hunter - First Assistant Secretary, Biosecurity Operations and Senior Executives to again discussed the following issues that impact members and clients. The key issues IFCBAA raised include:
- Assessment Service Group – entry processing delays outside client service standards.
- Inspection Services Group – delays in inspections outside client service standards.
- Onshore Treatment Releases – delays obtaining release directions post-treatments.
- Client Contact Group - delays in contacting an experienced biosecurity officer to address issues.
- Industry Engagement – more focused industry working group to identify areas for improvement to systems and service and better communication with industry
We understand biosecurity system automaton and reform takes a long time that is why we recommended the following short term solution.
- Provide better access for customs brokers to contact senior biosecurity officers to address assessment, inspection and treatment matters.
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Automate COLS to enable customs brokers to access “self-service” function to change of inspection location, reprint of biosecurity directions and final record of service etc.. This will limit the need to call DAWE for simple functions.
- Allow Approved Arrangement to undertake simple inspections i.e. visual and label inspection, tailgate or other inspection and sampling services.
- During the peak period resource the assessment, inspection and treatment divisions to facilitate trade and clear the current backlog.
- Reduce the CCV, BMSB Verification, Seals Intact intervention, and consider a reduction of intervention for high compliant importers of lower risk commodities.
Long term recommendations and solutions.
- Undertake a Reform to modernise the end to end biosecurity system which may require funding. Digital transformation is required to be able to cope with future trade growth and increased biosecurity risks as adding just resources may not be viable for the future biosecurity system.
- Provide a single portal for customs brokers to be able to access services limiting the need to contact biosecurity officers. Portal to provide visibility of entry status, processing and connectivity.
- Link the imports future system with the exports system providing a single window for trade
The First Assistant Secretary, Biosecurity Operations and senior Executives are committed to working closely with IFCBAA on the identified short and long term solutions. IFCBAA commends the DAWE as we have seen some improvements to client service standards in the assessment and inspection groups, however, we understand some of the internal short term measures are not sustainable.
Meeting with the Minister for Agriculture – 18 February 2021
During the Canberra visit our CEO, Paul Damkjaer and I had the opportunity to meet with the Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management, Hon David Littleproud on 18 February 2021. The Minister acknowledged IFCBAA’s concerns with delays in receiving biosecurity document assessment and inspections services from his department. It was pleasing to hear the Minister say “While biosecurity must come first, it is also important that we explore more innovative ways of operating, as doing more of the same is not an option”.
The Minister thanked IFCBAA for our advocacy and committed to working with IFCBAA via a targeted small industry roundtable, to address the short and long term issues in the imports program. Partnering and co-design activities with industry at both a grass roots and strategic level will be critical to achieving reform, while ensuring the flow of trade and goods to Australian consumers keeps moving, said the Minister.
The DAWE is currently working on a number of initiatives which will help to manage biosecurity risks more effectively and efficiently at the border. The Minister will be guided by the Inspector-General of Biosecurity Mr Rob Delane who the IFCBAA met with and discussed in length the industry issues and lodged a formal submission to the current Review - Adequacy of the department’s operational model to effectively mitigate biosecurity risks pre-border and at-border in evolving risk and business environments.
The Inspector-General has now finalised this review and copy of the report is published on the IGB website. We encourage members to read this report and share with clients as it addresses the issues with the biosecurity model and provides recommendations for Government consideration.
It was pleasing to see the Minister acknowledge that DAWE requires automation to increase the speed and accuracy of biosecurity document assessment and investment in modern systems to schedule and deploy assessment and inspection services more effectively.
More information is in the Ministers Media Release - Biosecurity is Top Priority.
Further roundtable meetings will be scheduled soon as we continue to work on short and long term solutions. This is a good start and the hard work starts now to develop a biosecurity system for the future to manage the increased demand at the border and reduce the impact on industry while still effectively managing biosecurity risks in the imports program.
We will keep members informed of any further developments.
Zoran Kostadinoski
Head of Border and Biosecurity
Regional Manager VIC | TAS | SA