Australian Quarantine Review Secretariat Australian Quarantine a shared responsibility

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8.14 COMPLIANCE AND AUDIT

Compliance

Most compliance investigations into quarantine activities are border related. Suspected quarantine breaches are investigated by AQIS, as well as ACS, under the terms of an MOU signed in 1990. ACS staff prepare briefs of evidence in relation to quarantine offences. However, future strategies must take into account the possibility of ACS either not supplying or being unable to supply quarantine compliance services at the border. The non-availability of ACS resources will have a major effect on quarantine in terms of the availability of qualified staff for the preparation of legal briefs.

The Review Committee notes that legislation facilitating the introduction of a system of on-the-spot fines for breaches of the Quarantine Act 1908 at the border was introduced into the Commonwealth Parliament in June 1996. In keeping with the culture of quarantine awareness and partnership being advocated in this Report, the Review Committee trusts that enforcement of these new powers — if passed by Parliament — will be with discretion, compassion and due attention to civil liberties, and reflect the cooperative culture the Review Committee is seeking to engender through Quarantine Australia. Any use of on-the-spot fines must be consistently and uniformly applied nationally.
The advent of new technologies for recording and tracing notable offenders should be used as a positive management tool for transgressors at the quarantine border. The Review Committee acknowledges that on-the-spot fines have merit in terms of time saved in preparation of legal briefs and presentation of cases at court. However, they should not deter officials from taking court action where a serious breach of quarantine occurs.

Audit

During the conduct of the Review, it became apparent that declining resources had led to a marked reduction in the frequency of audits undertaken by quarantine officials across the full spectrum of quarantine activities including border programs (e.g. for containers) and approved premises.

No inspection function is likely to meet the objective of quarantine consistently and effectively without regular and consistent audit and review. This is true of border activities, including quality assurance arrangements, quarantine-approved establishments, and other third-party arrangements. The Review Committee believes that audit and review are essential elements of effective program management.
Recommendation 86: The Review Committee recommends that Quarantine Australia give high priority to auditing and reviewing its border activities.
Regular auditing, review and periodic re-negotiation as required, are essential if the purposes of import protocols are to be effectively maintained over time (see Section 8.4.1 on import protocols). Throughout this process there should be regular consultation with relevant stakeholders (see Chapter 7 on Risk Analysis).
Recommendation 87: The Review Committee recommends that Quarantine Australia ensure that it reviews its import protocols on a regular basis to take account of changing circumstances.
PART VI: POST-BORDER QUARANTINE

9. MONITORING AND SURVEILLANCE

9.1 INTRODUCTION

The Review Committee advocates a continuum approach to quarantine, encompassing coordinated pre-border, border and post-border activities. Monitoring and surveillance are important for determining Australia's human, animal and plant health status. As such, monitoring and surveillance for pests and diseases form integral parts of the post-border element of the continuum of quarantine. Preparedness and response, the other part of post-border quarantine activities, are discussed in Chapter 10.

9.2 PRINCIPLES

In this Report, the term 'monitoring' is used for the passive collection and collation of data on Australia's current animal and plant health status. 'Surveillance' is used for active measures to detect new pest and disease incursions and changes in the distribution and prevalence of endemic pests and diseases.

During the course of the Review, several examples of effective monitoring and surveillance were brought to the attention of the Review Committee. However, there was also ample evidence that insufficient resources have been dedicated to these tasks in the past. In some cases, the results of monitoring and surveillance have been used to protect animal, plant and human health for the benefit of the Australian community. However, there are a number of incidents where detections did not lead to a rapid response to control or eradicate incursions. The coordinated industry and government response to the 1993 detection of Asian honey bee in the Torres Strait is a good example of appropriate pest and disease management based on effective monitoring and surveillance. In contrast, the apparent delayed response to the 1993 detection of papaya fruit fly in the Torres Strait region resulted in an expensive eradication program in northern Queensland.
In the view of the Review Committee, effective monitoring and surveillance will:
· provide a knowledge of Australia's current animal and plant health status;
· provide information on animal and plant pests and diseases which occur in other countries and could threaten Australia's primary industries, natural environment and human health;
· provide early detection of incursions of exotic pests and diseases, whether due to illicit or natural entry or through not being intercepted at the border, which will greatly improve the chances of successful control or eradication of the incursions;
· represent an important element of meeting Australia's international obligations;
· provide basic input to the risk analysis process; and
· add to the knowledge of Australia's flora and fauna.