Inquiry into biosecurity and quarantine arrangements
Information about the Inquiry
On 23 June 2010 the Senate referred the following matter to the Senate Standing Committees on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport for inquiry and report.
a) the adequacy of current biosecurity and quarantine arrangements, including resourcing;
b) projected demand and resourcing requirements;
c) progress toward achievement of reform of Australian Quarantine and Inspection service export fees and charges;
d) progress in implementation of the ‘Beale Review' recommendations and their place in meeting projected biosecurity demand and resourcing; and
e) any related matters.
This inquiry was re-adopted by the committee in the 43rd Parliament. The committee will accept submissions up to the reporting date.
As part of its current inquiry into Biosecurity and Quarantine Arrangements, the committee has been tasked with examining the "progress toward achievement of reform of Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) export fees and charges".
On 7 and 8 July 2011, the committee conducted follow-up hearings specifically to take evidence regarding the impact of the removal of the fee rebate for AQIS export certification functions. The original hearings in relation to this issue were held in September 2009.
In addition to these hearings, the Committee is interested in hearing from individuals and organisations who would like to provide submissions in relation to the management of the removal of the 40 per cent fee rebate for AQIS export certification functions. It would be appreciated if submissions could be provided by Friday, 29 July 2011.
Submissions should be received by 22 November 2010. The reporting date is 22 November 2010. On 23 November 2011,the Senate granted an extension of time for reporting until 04 April 2012.
The Committee is seeking written submissions from interested individuals and organisations preferably in electronic form submitted online or sent by email to rrat.sen@aph.gov.au as an attached Adobe PDF or MS Word format document. The email must include full postal address and contact details.
Alternatively, written submissions may be sent to:
Committee Secretary
Senate Standing Committees on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport
PO Box 6100
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Australia
Notes to help you prepare your submission are available from the website at https://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/wit_sub/index.htm. Alternatively, the Committee Secretariat will be able to help you with your inquiries and can be contacted on telephone +61 2 6277 3511 or facsimile +61 2 6277 5811 or by email to rrat.sen@aph.gov.au.
Inquiries from hearing and speech impaired people should be directed to Parliament House TTY number 02 6277 7799. Adobe also provides tools at http://access.adobe.com/ for the blind and visually impaired to access PDF documents. If you require any special arrangements to enable you to participate in the Committee's inquiry, please contact the Committee Secretariat.
Once the Committee accepts your submission, it becomes a confidential Committee document and is protected by Parliamentary Privilege. You must not release your submission without the Committee's permission. If you do, it will not be protected by Parliamentary Privilege. At some stage during the inquiry, the Committee normally makes submissions public and places them on its website. Please indicate if you want your submission to be kept confidential.
For further information, contact: Committee Secretary
Senate Standing Committees on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport
PO Box 6100
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Australia