Commonwealth legislation

Biosecurity (Electronic Decisions–Goods) Determination 2026

In ForceCTH

Jurisdiction

Commonwealth

Collection

legislative instrument

Plain English Summary

3/10 complexity

This instrument authorises specified biosecurity decisions to be made automatically by an authorised computer program, and identifies who may operate such programs: biosecurity officers, enforcement officers, Agriculture Department staff, contractors, Commonwealth service providers, industry participants and persons in charge (s5). Users must have a unique identifier and must reasonably satisfy themselves the data they enter is true and accurately recorded (s5(2)–(3)). It shifts routine decision‑making to software, creating authentication, training and data‑quality compliance obligations for users and operational responsibilities for the Agriculture Department.

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Direct links to the current provisions in Biosecurity (Electronic Decisions–Goods) Determination 2026.

Biosecurity (Electronic Decisions–Goods) Determination 2026

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Commonwealth Coat of Arms of Australia

Biosecurity (Electronic Decisions–Goods) Determination 2026

I, Victoria Anderson, Director of Biosecurity, make the following determination.

Dated 20 February 2026

Victoria Anderson

Director of Biosecurity

Contents

1 Name

2 Commencement

3 Authority

4 Definitions

5 Use of computer programs

1 Name

This instrument is the Biosecurity (Electronic Decisions–Goods) Determination 2026.

2 Commencement

(1) Each provision of this instrument specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.

Commencement information
Column 1 Column 2 Column 3
Provisions Commencement Date/Details
1. The whole of this instrument The day after this instrument is registered.

Note: This table relates only to the provisions of this instrument as originally made. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this instrument.

(2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this instrument. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this instrument.

3 Authority

This instrument is made under subsection 541A(2) of the Biosecurity Act 2015.

4 Definitions

Note: A number of expressions used in this instrument are defined in the Act, including the following:

(a) Agriculture Department;

(b) biosecurity enforcement officer;

(d) biosecurity officer;

(e) Commonwealth body;

(f) person in charge.

In this instrument:

Act means the Biosecurity Act 2015.

authorised computer program: see subsection 5(1).

5 Use of computer programs

Relevant provisions under which decisions may be made by operation of a computer program

(1) For the purposes of paragraph 541A(2)(a) of the Act, a decision under the following relevant provisions of the Act may be made by the operation of a computer program (an authorised computer program) under an arrangement made under subsection 541A(1) of the Act:

(a) subsections 122(2) and (3);

(b) section 124;

(d) sections 126, 127 and 128.

Classes of persons who may use computer programs

(2) For the purposes of paragraph 541A(2)(b) of the Act, each of the following is a class of persons that may use an authorised computer program for any purposes referred to in subsection 541A(1) of the Act in relation to a decision referred to in subsection (1):

(a) biosecurity officers who have a unique identifier issued by a Commonwealth body that enables them to access the authorised computer program;

(b) biosecurity enforcement officers who have a unique identifier issued by a Commonwealth body that enables them to access the authorised computer program;

(c) APS employees of the Agriculture Department who have a unique identifier issued by a Commonwealth body that enables them to access the authorised computer program;

(d) persons:

(i) who are performing services for the Agriculture Department under a contract; and

(ii) who have a unique identifier issued by a Commonwealth body that enables the person to access the authorised computer program;

(e) any other persons:

(i) who are employed or engaged by a Commonwealth body to provide services to the Commonwealth in connection with the Agriculture Department; and

(ii) who have a unique identifier issued by a Commonwealth body that enables the person to access the authorised computer program;

(f) biosecurity industry participants who have a unique identifier issued by a Commonwealth body that enables them to access the authorised computer program;

(g) persons:

(i) who are a person in charge of goods in relation to which the authorised computer program is to be used; and

(ii) who have a unique identifier issued by a Commonwealth body that enables the person to access the computer program.

Conditions of use of computer program

(3) For the purposes of paragraph 541A(2)(c) of the Act, a person in a class of persons who may use an authorised computer program under subsection (2) must:

(a) be satisfied on reasonable grounds that information entered into the authorised computer program by the person for the purpose of enabling decisions to be made by operation of the computer program is true and correct; and

(b) ensure that the information is accurately entered into the authorised computer program.

Source text

Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation (legislation.gov.au), CC BY 4.0.

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?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" standalone="no"?>

Biosecurity (Electronic Decisions–Goods) Determination 2026

I, Victoria Anderson, Director of Biosecurity, make the following determination.

Dated 20 February 2026

Victoria Anderson

Director of Biosecurity

Contents

1 Name

2 Commencement

3 Authority

4 Definitions

5 Use of computer programs

1 Name

This instrument is the Biosecurity (Electronic Decisions–Goods) Determination 2026.

2 Commencement

Commencement information
Column 1 Column 2 Column 3
Provisions Commencement Date/Details
1. The whole of this instrument The day after this instrument is registered.

Note: This table relates only to the provisions of this instrument as originally made. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this instrument.

3 Authority

This instrument is made under subsection 541A(2) of the Biosecurity Act 2015.

4 Definitions

Note: A number of expressions used in this instrument are defined in the Act, including the following:

(a) Agriculture Department;

(b) biosecurity enforcement officer;

(d) biosecurity officer;

(e) Commonwealth body;

(f) person in charge.

In this instrument:

Act means the Biosecurity Act 2015.

authorised computer program: see subsection 5(1).