19Quality assurance certificates

#### 19 Quality assurance certificates (1) The Secretary may, on behalf of the Commonwealth, enter into an arrangement with the person conducting an overseas food processing operation providing for the periodic inspection and evaluation of that operation, at the expense of the person, to decide whether the Secretary should exercise his or her powers under subsection (1A). (1A) The Secretary may: (a) approve a food processing operation mentioned in subsection (1) for the purposes of this Part; or (b) revoke any such approval. (2) If an overseas food processing operation is subject to a current approval under subsection (1A), the Secretary may determine, in writing, to the effect that, while the determination remains in force, each certificate issued by the person purportedly in charge of that operation stating that particular food processed in that operation meets applicable standards and does not pose a risk to human health is a recognised quality assurance certificate. (3) The Secretary may revoke a determination under subsection (2) if: (a) the Secretary has reason to doubt the reliability of any statement made in any certificate to which the determination relates; or (b) the approval of the overseas food processing operation concerned is revoked. Offence (4) A person must not forge, or utter, knowing it to be forged, a certificate of the kind referred to in subsection (2). Penalty: Imprisonment for 10 years. Status of instruments (5) The following are not legislative instruments: (a) an arrangement under subsection (1); (b) an approval, or a revocation, under subsection (1A); (c) a determination under subsection (2); (d) a revocation under subsection (3). Definitions (6) For the purposes of this section, forge and utter have the meanings given by section 19A.