The first NSW RFAs Annual Meeting of Officials took place in Sydney on 31 October 2019. The meeting was attended by officials from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Department of the Environment and Energy and the NSW Government Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (which includes NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI), Environment Protection Authority, Local Land Services and the Environment, Energy and Science group).

The second Tasmanian RFA Annual Meeting of Officials took place in Canberra on 24 July 2019. The meeting was attend by Senior Officials from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Department of the Environment and Energy, and the Tasmanian Government Department of State Growth and Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment.

This meeting satisfies the requirements of clause 9A of the Tasmanian RFA:

17 February 2020

Who does this notice affect?

Importers and customs brokers of imported animals and cargo, transport companies, approved arrangement sites and treatment providers who deal with imported goods.

Information

As of 1 February 2020, the Department of Agriculture was renamed the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.

17 February 2020

Who does this notice affect?

All clients required to use the department’s Biosecurity Import Conditions (BICON) system during this planned maintenance period.

Information

Due to scheduled infrastructure maintenance, BICON users may experience several intermittent outages from 16:00 to 23:59 on Sunday 23 February 2020 (AEDT).

Action

Users are advised to frequently save any in-progress permit applications during this maintenance period.

14 February 2020

Who does this notice affect?

This notice is of interest to all vessel masters and shipping agents who represent international commercial and non-commercial vessels for the purposes of Australian biosecurity clearance.

What has changed?

To assist the department in managing the Australian Government’s response to novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the Maritime Arrivals Reporting System’s (MARS) pre-arrival report (PAR) for commercial vessels has been updated. There are now three additional mandatory COVID-19 questions to be answered.

14 February 2020

Purpose

This Industry Advice Notice (IAN) is to advise the carrot industry that applications are now open for the accreditation of farms and packhouses to export carrots to Taiwan in 2020. 

14 February 2020

Who does this notice affect?

All shipping agents or operators of maritime conveyances who will be required to report pre-arrival information during this planned outage.

Information

Due to urgent scheduled maintenance, the Maritime Arrivals Reporting System (MARS) will be unavailable from 23:00 Saturday 15 February to 00:30 Sunday 16 February 2020 (AEDT).

Action

Clients are advised to await the completion of this maintenance period before attempting to access this service.

13 February 2020

Who does this notice affect?

Importers and brokers of:

• Dried onions from all countries
• Fresh and chilled Agaricus mushrooms from New Zealand
• Fresh and chilled permitted species of mushrooms and truffles
• Fresh blueberries from New Zealand
• Fresh immature corn from all countries

What has changed?

The department is incorporating a number of new commodities onto the Compliance Based Intervention Scheme (CBIS). This change is scheduled to take effect on 13 February 2020.

12 February 2020

Purpose

This Industry Advice Notice (IAN) is to notify stakeholders who interact face-to-face with the department that our three Melbourne offices will relocate to a single premises in mid-2021.

Summary of changes and key points

The following Melbourne offices will relocate to a single premises at the Younghusband Woolstore site, 10 Elizabeth Street KENSINGTON VIC 3031, in mid-2021: