Criminal Offences and Inspector Powers for Livestock Disease Control
Biosecurity Legislation Amendment (Incident Response) Bill 2023
1st House
2nd House
Law
Links to official parliament websites
Effects of this bill
If this bill passes, it means that:
Police officers can now exercise inspector powers without a formal declaration of an exotic animal disease outbreak.
Inspectors can direct people to take specific actions or move vehicles to prevent or monitor exotic disease outbreaks.
Inspectors may apply for search warrants to enter dwellings, land, or vehicles if a magistrate is satisfied it is necessary.
Inspectors can seize items, such as NLIS ear tags, if they believe the items are connected to a breach of the law.
It is a criminal offence to move a vehicle into or out of a quarantine area without written authority from an inspector.
It is a criminal offence to possess livestock if the permanent identification has been removed or replaced without a reasonable excuse.
The minister can compel livestock owners to repay compensation for exotic diseases if the payment was made in error or based on false information.