Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service
Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service logo
Agency overview
Jurisdiction	Australia
Headquarters	Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
Minister responsible	Hon. Tony Burke MP, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Agency executive	Robert Delane, Executive Director
Website
http://www.aqis.gov.au/

The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) is the Australian government agency responsible for enforcing Australian quarantine laws. AQIS forms part of the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

[edit] Quarantine in Australia

Dog at work searching for fruit in the luggage of passengers embarking from a boat to Tasmania

AQIS’s import and export inspection and certification is essential to maintaining Australia’s highly favourable animal, plant and human health status and access to export markets. Quarantine controls at Australia’s borders minimise the risk of exotic pests and diseases to protect Australia’s agriculture industries and environment. AQIS does this by specialist Federal law enforcement officers known as Quarantine & Exports Inspectors 'Quarantine Officers'

[edit] History

On 30 March 1908, the commonwealth Quarantine service came into operation and took over quarantine stations in every Australian state.

[edit] Role of AQIS

AQIS is the agency responsible for animal, plant and human quarantine border controls, of passengers and cargo. AQIS officers use X-ray machines and sniffer dogs in airports, seaports and mail centres to search for quarantine risk material.

Along with Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) AQIS administers the Imported Food Programme, which ensures that food commercially imported into Australia meets Australia’s Quarantine Standards and the Food Standards Code.

AQIS also provides inspection and certification for a range of agricultural products exported from Australia, to ensure compliance with overseas countries importation requirements.

[edit] Biosecurity Australia

Biosecurity Australia is a prescribed agency within the Australian Government Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry. Biosecurity Australia provides policy advice to AQIS concerning the importation of quarantine risk material to Australia when requested by AQIS. It should be noted that AQIS ultimately sets the rules concerning the imports, not Biosecurity Australia (read the Quarantine Act 1908). Some of the rules set by AQIS (as advised by Biosecurity Australia) on the importation of overseas foods have been controversial and argued to risk Australia’s health status^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] External links

• Official AQIS site