The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service was the Australian government agency responsible for enforcing Australian
quarantine
A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...
laws, as part of the
Department of Agriculture
An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...
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, or 'Quarantine Officers'.
History
On 30 March 1908, the Commonwealth Quarantine service came into operation and took over quarantine stations in every Australian state, as allowed in section 2A of the Quarantine Act 1908. The
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, wh ...
, held in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...
, were prevented by the quarantine regulations to host the equestrian events; therefore they were held in
Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm () is the capital and most populous city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately
1 million people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 millio ...
five months earlier.
Role of AQIS
AQIS was the agency responsible for animal, plant and human quarantine border controls, of passengers and cargo. AQIS officers used 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 administered the Imported Food Programme, ensuring that food commercially imported into Australia meets Australia's Quarantine Standards and the Food Standards Code.
AQIS also provided inspection and certification for a range of agricultural products exported from Australia, to ensure compliance with overseas countries importation requirements.
Biosecurity Australia
Biosecurity Australia
National biosecurity in Australia is governed and administered by two federal government departments, the Department of Health and thDepartment of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry The ''Biosecurity Act 2015'' (C'wealth) and related legislati ...
was a prescribed agency within the Australian Government Department of Agriculture from August 2007 to September 2009. In September 2009, a division of DAFF known as Biosecurity Services Group took over their functions. Biosecurity Australia provided policy advice to AQIS concerning the importation of quarantine risk material to Australia when requested by AQIS. Under the '' Quarantine Act 1908'', AQIS had responsibility for setting the rules concerning the imports, not Biosecurity Australia.
See also
*
Australian Customs and Border Protection Service
The Australian Customs and Border Protection Service was an Australian federal government agency responsible for managing the security and integrity of the Australian border and facilitating the movement of legitimate international travelers and ...