The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) is the independent statutory authority responsible for the regulation of agricultural and veterinary (agvet) chemicals in Australia up to the point of supply.
The purpose of the Rapid Evaluation
The Final Report on Future Structure and Governance Arrangements for the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) (Rapid Evaluation) was commissioned by the government following an independent review by the law firm Clayton Utz.
Mr Ken Matthews AO was engaged to complete an independent rapid evaluation of the Clayton Utz findings and to advise on future structure and governance arrangements for the APVMA. The Rapid Evaluation makes 33 recommendations aimed at improving governance, organisational capacity, regulatory performance, and cultural shortcomings of the APVMA.
The Rapid Evaluation was released on 17 April 2024 and is available for download.
Final Report on Future Structure and Governance Arrangements for the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA)
Detailed government response
The detailed response to the Rapid Evaluation was issued by the government on 4 November 2024.
The detailed response to the Rapid Evaluation provides a comprehensive response to all recommendations made in the Rapid Evaluation.
The detailed response also considers the recommendations made in earlier reports, including the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority Strategic Review Report (Strategic Review) and the Final Report of the Independent Review of the Pesticides and Veterinary medicines Regulatory System in Australia (Independent Review).
Preliminary government response
The preliminary response was released on 17 April 2024 and indicates whether the government supports, supports in principle, partially supports, or does not support each of the 33 recommendations made in the Rapid Evaluation.
The preliminary government response is available to download below.