Review of regulatory charging for biosecurity activities

Consultation on new fees and charges now open

Consultation on the proposed changes to regulatory charging for biosecurity activities is now closed. The consultation period commenced on 27 March and closed at 5pm (AEST) 24 April 2023.

Proposed changes to regulatory charging for biosecurity activities are expected to come into effect from 1 July 2023.

Consultation paper

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Proposed changes to regulatory charging for biosecurity activities (PDF 1.50 MB)
Proposed changes to regulatory charging for biosecurity activities (DOCX 2.41 MB)

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Online forum

Registrations are now closed for the online forum on the proposed changes to regulatory charging for biosecurity activities. The session was held on 13 April 2023.

Thank you to all stakeholders who attended forums with the department and have provided feedback during the consultation period.

We are reviewing fees and charges for biosecurity activity.

Our fees and charges were last reviewed in 2015. Since then, the Australian and global economies have changed significantly. Biosecurity threats and risks have increased.

Current fees and charges no longer cover the cost of our biosecurity regulatory effort. Aligning our fees and charges with the actual cost to deliver biosecurity activities is an important first step in developing a sustainable funding and investment model for biosecurity.

We acknowledge the impacts and challenges of recent years faced by industry. We also acknowledge concerns raised by industry – particularly on delays to clearance times for cargo.

Industry will see a range of benefits in coming years. Increased partnerships, updates to systems, and new technology will mean less intervention at the border, especially for compliant importers leading to faster clearance.

More information will be posted as this work progresses.

Helpful links

Factors driving increased costs

Since our last review in 2015, numerous factors have emerged which have increased the cost to deliver biosecurity regulatory activities. These factors continue to impact the department, driving the need to increase many of our regulatory fees and charges.

Increasing and changing patterns of global trade, travel and land use Increased volume and complexity of imports requiring assessment Climate events creating suitable environments for pests, weeds and diseases to establish Global emergence of novel pest and disease threats, including to human health Changing distribution of pests and diseases in nearby countries Inflation on wages, suppliers, systems, property and utility costs Increases in staff, high attrition rates, time required to train new staff and tight labour markets

The increasing gap between expense and revenue

Graph showing biosecurity costs and revenue over time — Since 2021-22 the gap between the cost to fund the Biosecurity Cost Recovery Arrangement and the revenue recovered has increased significantly. This trend of expense exceeding revenue is forecast to continue, making it unsustainable for the department to continue to fund our existing regulatory activities.

Key proposed changes

We are proposing changes to all regulatory fees and charges. We are proposing key changes that will ensure equity and minimise the impact of any price changes in future years.