Quarantine Act 1908

Quarantine Act 1908

• A permit is required for the importation of specimens into Australia

This Act is administered on behalf of the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry by the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS) requires all biological specimens, soil samples, ice samples and water samples returned to Australia from the Antarctic and the Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands to be covered by a Permit to Import Quarantine Material.

The permit to import must be applied for on an 'Application to Import Quarantine Material' form, which is available from AQIS. The application should be forwarded to AQIS, ensuring that the names and addresses of all laboratories to receive samples are listed. Applications to import foodstuffs, biological material and other animal products may be subject to a lodgement fee; details of these fees can be found in the Guide to importing biological products and foodstuffs on the AQIS website.

Permits to Import marine water, soil, and soil drill core samples may be issued by AQIS Regional Offices.

Geological samples collected from the Australian Antarctic Territory for approved programs do not require a quarantine permit, but the consignment must be notified to AQIS and may be inspected by a Quarantine Officer on arrival in Australia. Crushed rock, however, is designated to be mineral samples and requires a Permit from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Canberra.

Samples destined for overseas research institutes are regarded by AQIS as being 'In Transit', and as such do not require a Permit to Import Material. However, overseas samples must be clearly identified as being 'In Transit' and included on the Quarantine Manifest compiled by the Deputy Leader of the return voyage.

Please ensure that you are fully conversant with Commonwealth and, if relevant, your home State Government Acts and Regulations relating to the import of quarantinable material.

Further information on quarantine matters may be obtained from AQIS:

For information regarding the import of live Antarctic plant samples contact Mr Terry Lockyer, AQIS Hobart, on (03) 6233 2697 or e-mail Terry.Lockyer@aqis.gov.au.

On receipt of any permit to import from the Antarctic or sub-Antarctic, please ensure that a copy is forwarded to the Australian Antarctic Division's Quarantine Liaison Officer at Channel Highway, Kingston Tasmania 7050 to enable clearance of consignments through Customs and Quarantine authorities.

Information about quarantine matters relating to sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island are set out in the AAD Guidelines for research applications.

Other environmental approval and permit considerations

The above requirements are additional to environmental approvals and permits for the collection of specimens in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic and it is likely that you will be required to provide copies of ethics approvals and ATEP, AMLR, HIMI and/or AQIS permits along with your application to the Department of the Environment and Water Resources when seeking a permit from them.