The South Australian Government through Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA) has announced plans for a new Biosecurity Act.
PIRSA have now opened a public consultation period for feedback on the proposed principles, objectives and intent of the new Biosecurity Act. Consultation will close at 11:45pm on Tuesday 24 November 2020.
To facilitate consultation PIRSA has developed a range of supporting material, located at pir.sa.gov.au/biosecurity-act, including:
- A Technical Directions Paper, which details the proposed approach, including the proposed reforms, key concepts and principles;
- A Consultation Paper, aimed as an introduction and general summary of the approach; and
- A series of Fact Sheets.
You can provide feedback on the proposed new Biosecurity Act directly to the South Australian Government by:
- Responding to the online survey at yourSAy.sa.gov.au;
- Attending a webinar (register via yourSAy website) (28 October at 1pm or 4 November at 11am);
- Arranging a meeting/presentation in your region by contacting Jen Barwick, Biosecurity Act project officer on 0476 849 274 or emailing PIRSA.biosecurityact@sa.gov.au;
- Providing a written submission by mail or email to:
Biosecurity Act Project Office of the Chief Executive
c\o- GPO Box 1671, ADELAIDE SA 5001
PIRSA.biosecurityact@sa.gov.au
SAWIA, WGCSA and Vinehealth Australia will be making a submission regarding the proposed new Biosecurity Act for South Australia.
If you would like to provide feedback to SAWIA or Vinehealth Australia to consider for inclusion in their submission, please contact either Brian Smedley, Chief Executive SAWIA (brian@winesa.asn.au or 0403 147 362), or Inca Lee, CEO Vinehealth Australia (inca@vinehealth.com.au or 0418 818 543) before 13 November 2020.
The development of a new Biosecurity Act must assist in the future management and protection of South Australia’s vitally important biosecurity system.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Review of SA’s legislative framework for Biosecurity
The South Australian Government led by PIRSA, has been reviewing various legislation dealing with biosecurity with a view to creating a new consolidated biosecurity framework for SA.
The review has identified four Acts (Plant Health Act 2009, Livestock Act 1997, Dog Fence Act 1946 and Impounding Act 1920) that will be fully consolidated into a new Biosecurity Act, and relevant parts of the Fisheries Management Act 2007 will also be included.
SAWIA, Vinehealth Australia and WGCSA have been involved in discussions with PIRSA since 2019 regarding this review. All three wine organisations were involved in a Stakeholder Reference Group that enabled us to be consulted on this framework and to provide early input from the wine industry.
Initially, the review was to include the Phylloxera and Grape Industry Act 1995, but following many meetings with various organisations and people, and through strong advocacy and industry support, this Act is now excluded from being repealed and consolidated into a new Biosecurity Act. The wine industry has the choice to reassess this exclusion at a later date to confirm whether this position remains relevant and appropriate for the wine industry. A key issue will be to ensure that strong biosecurity arrangements continue for the industry.
However, with any change, and irrespective of the exclusion of the Phylloxera and Grape Industry Act 1995, the proposed new Biosecurity Act will need to be carefully assessed to ensure it does not compromise the wine industry’s focus on and commitment to biosecurity.
Ideally, proposed changes should add value to the wine industry’s strong 120 years of activity and vigilance in pest and disease management, including phylloxera prevention.
Following consideration of submissions, the South Australian Government will draft a Biosecurity Bill in early 2021 and stakeholders will be consulted on the draft Bill before it is finalised and introduced into Parliament in mid-2021. Regulations will then be developed in late 2021 and implementation will follow including the development of codes of practice, policies, procedures and staff training extending into 2022.