Freight and Trade Alliance (FTA) has received notification from the Inspector-General of Biosecurity (Mr Rob Delane) of the release of his review " Adequacy of department's operational model to effectively mitigate biosecurity risks in evolving risk and business environments."
As part of the extensive consultation process representatives of FTA met regularly with the IGB (both virtually and in face to face discussions in Perth early last year) to raise the concerns of members.
Nineteen recommendations have been made as part of this review. The entire report and full list of recommendations can be seen here
However Recommendation 19 succinctly sums up the review
There are 4 reform priorities that must be progressed concomitantly, with appropriate strategy, resourcing and timelines for each, if the department is going to free itself from current debilitating drag on its performance and set itself on a course to confidently deliver excellent biosecurity outcomes towards 2025 and beyond:
- Regulatory maturity
- Risk pathway partnership
- Frontline focus
- Sustainable funding model.
FTA welcomes the release of this report and look forward to further dissecting the detailed recommendations of the report. This will allow us to continue our longstanding working relationship with the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, and build on the recommendations for improvements that will both uphold the Biosecurity principles and offer a transparent and efficient border clearance process