Date of effect: 01 July 2023
Attention
Stakeholders in the import and shipping industries — including imported food stakeholders, customs brokers, freight forwarders, vessel masters, biosecurity industry participants and shipping agents.
Purpose
The purpose of this notice is to advise industry:
- the legislative amendments which give effect to new fees and charges for biosecurity and imported food regulatory activity have been approved.
- new fees and charges for biosecurity and imported food regulatory activities will commence on 1 July 2023.
- the 2023-24 biosecurity cost recovery implementation statement (CRIS), which sets out the new fees and charges, is available on the department’s website.
Key points
The department has completed its comprehensive review of the biosecurity cost recovery arrangement. The outcome proposed changes to existing regulatory charging to align fees and charges with the cost to deliver biosecurity and imported food activities.
Key changes to regulatory charging
- Unit prices for biosecurity fees and charges across cost recovery activities.
- Importation charge structures and terms for horses, cats and dogs, and avians.
- The importation charge for animals entering the post entry quarantine facility will be split - 20% will be required as a non-refundable reservation charge and 80% payable on confirmation of reservation.
- The horse husbandry fee will be removed as a separate fee and amalgamated into the horse importation charge.
- Legislating the tiered approach to approved arrangement annual charges.
- Clarification on the application of out-of-office fees for activities undertaken outside departmental premises.
- Alignment of terminology for vessel charges, to non-commercial or vessels other than non-commercial.
- Introduction of indexation and an annual review cycle.
More information about the drivers for these changes is available in the Proposed changes to regulatory charging for biosecurity activities – consultation paper.
2023-24 biosecurity cost recovery implementation statement
The 2023-24 CRIS contains the fees and charges necessary to provide the level of regulatory activity that meets current volumes and risk. The CRIS also contains relevant information on the department’s authority to cost recover, its estimated costs, forecast volumes and cost recovery revenue for biosecurity and imported food regulatory activity. Financial tables show past performance and forecast costs for future years.
The 2023-24 CRIS and pricing tables can be accessed on the department’s website.
Billing after 1 July 2023
As we transition to new fees and charges you will notice changes to your invoice. There will be new prices, new codes and in some cases new descriptions. You may also see an old and a new price listed for the same service depending on when the regulatory activities you have been invoiced for were carried out.
Please contact the department at: BioCRIS@aff.gov.au if you have concerns or need support managing the transition to the new prices.
Further information
Enquires can be directed to BioCRIS@aff.gov.au
Instructions
Visit the ‘Biosecurity cost recovery implementation statements’ page on the department’s website to access the pricing tables and 2023-24 CRIS.
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