Biosecurity legislation
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New biosecurity laws
The ACT Government is implementing new biosecurity laws to help protect Canberra’s environment, industries and community from biosecurity risks.
The Biosecurity Act 2023 aims to:
- manage biosecurity risks
- promote biosecurity as a shared responsibility between government, industry and the community;
- provide a flexible and responsive framework for the effective management of pests, diseases and other biosecurity matters that may have an adverse effect on the environment, the economy or the community
- provide a framework for risk-based decision-making in relation to biosecurity
- give effect to intergovernmental biosecurity agreements
- facilitate trade by ensuring that biosecurity requirements in other states are met.
To support a smooth transition to the new Act, the Biosecurity Legislation Amendment Bill 2024 was introduced in early 2024.
We will notify the community when the new laws come into effect.
General biosecurity duty
The Biosecurity Act 2023 introduces a general biosecurity duty that establishes biosecurity as a shared responsibility amongst all Canberrans.
While you are not expected to know about all biosecurity risks, you are expected to know about risks associated with your industry, business, day-to-day work and hobbies.
The general biosecurity duty states:
If a person deals with biosecurity matter or a carrier and the person knows, or reasonably ought to know, that the matter, carrier or dealing poses a biosecurity risk, the person has a duty (the general biosecurity duty) to take all reasonable steps to manage the risk.
The general biosecurity duty can apply to more than one person in relation to the same biosecurity risk, for example an owner and a manager may both be responsible for managing a particular biosecurity risk on a property.
Current laws
The Biosecurity Act is replacing 3 laws:
The ACT Government will be reviewing previous declarations under these laws and may make changes to requirements in order to align with the Biosecurity Act.
Changes will be communicated on this website and on the ACT Legislation Register.
Australian Government biosecurity legislation
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry administers Australian Government biosecurity legislation in order to protect Australia's animal, plant and human health status and to maintain market access for Australian food and other agricultural exports.