INQ112

TitleLong
Beating the Bugs: Protecting Victoria’s Economically Significant Crops from Pests and Diseases 
INQAuthor
J.W Cameron, Auditor General of Victoria
Year
InquiryType
DisasterType
State
Status

Recommendations for this Inquiry

INQ-ref REC-UID CODE SubCode SrcNUM Recommendation
INQ112 REC112-3907 A - Responsibility 25 - Inquiry, audit, lessons management and after action review Recommendation 1

That Department of Primary Industries (DPI), in partnership with the Department of Sustainability and Environment, reviews all legislation relating to plant biosecurity with a view to streamlining the legislative framework.

INQ112 REC112-3922 A - Responsibility 25 - Inquiry, audit, lessons management and after action review Recommendation 16

That DPI maintains ISO 9000 accreditation for at least one laboratory and seeks NATA accreditation for key diagnostic tests. This should be done in combination with Plant Health Australia’s laboratory accreditation project.

INQ112 REC112-3923 E - Agency Organisation 12 - EM agency and authority Recommendation 17

That DPI negotiates access, as and when required, to an AQIS PC4- accredited laboratory.

INQ112 REC112-3924 E - Agency Organisation 32 - Doctrine, standards, and reform Recommendation 18

That DPI develops diagnostic protocols for high-priority threats, in conjunction with other jurisdictions and industry, as soon as practicable.

INQ112 REC112-3925 F - Research and technology 13 - Mapping and data quality Recommendation 19

That DPI establishes a system to ensure the security of all samples at all times, but particularly during their handling and transport.

INQ112 REC112-3926 F - Research and technology 13 - Mapping and data quality Recommendation 20

That DPI upgrades the Crop Health Services diagnostic database so that it alerts PSB and PIRVIC to the receipt of samples from nearby areas with similar symptoms and can be linked to other PIRVIC diagnostic databases.

INQ112 REC112-3927 D - Recovery 6 - Insurance and legal liability Recommendation 21

That PSB and PIRVIC review their service agreement to ensure that PIRVIC is compensated for its costs in providing PSB with the specified level of service.

INQ112 REC112-3928 A - Responsibility 3 - Biodiversity Recommendation 22

That DPI formalises agreements within the Regional Services and Agriculture Division to ensure that plant health information is included in extension programs.

INQ112 REC112-3929 A - Responsibility 35 - Business and Industry in relation to industry Recommendation 23

That DPI develops a comprehensive strategy for communicating to industry their rights and responsibilities in relation to threats, incursions, outbreaks and post-outbreak; and also for communicating internally.

INQ112 REC112-3930 E - Agency Organisation 16 - Training and behaviour Recommendation 24

That DPI provides plant incursion-specific AIIMS training for anyone who might be involved in, or providing resources for, an incursion response. This includes senior management, field and research staff, contractors and industry participants.

INQ112 REC112-3931 E - Agency Organisation 16 - Training and behaviour Recommendation 25

That DPI ensures that AIIMS training includes information to ensure that everyone understands their role, and how information will be managed internally and externally, in the event of an incursion.

INQ112 REC112-3932 A - Responsibility 25 - Inquiry, audit, lessons management and after action review Recommendation 26

That DPI conducts and documents debriefs after all incursions, and adopts any improvements that are identified through debriefs.

INQ112 REC112-3933 C - Response 15 - Inter-service cooperation Recommendation 27

That DPI formalises agreements between divisions and groups that allow staff to be involved in incursion responses and reflects this requirement in individual duty statements.

INQ112 REC112-3921 F - Research and technology 17 - Assets and technology Recommendation 15

That the recommendations of the 2000 DPI report into the reference collection’s storage facility be implemented, to secure the collection in a purpose-built facility.

INQ112 REC112-3920 C - Response 15 - Inter-service cooperation Recommendation 14

That better use be made of Primary Industries Research Victoria's (PIRVIC) facilities by strengthening links with relevant groups of expertise, such as the Forest Science Centre.

INQ112 REC112-3908 E - Agency Organisation 32 - Doctrine, standards, and reform Recommendation 2

That DPI develops a department-wide enforcement policy and specific guidelines for Plant Standards Branch (PSB).

INQ112 REC112-3909 E - Agency Organisation 12 - EM agency and authority Recommendation 3

That PSB’s enforcement procedures are consistent with those of the rest of the department.

INQ112 REC112-3910 E - Agency Organisation 32 - Doctrine, standards, and reform Recommendation 4

That the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals (Control of Use) Act 1992, Plant Health and Plant Products Act 1995 and Livestock Disease Control Act 1994 be registered with the Department of Justice’s PERIN system.

INQ112 REC112-3911 A - Responsibility 3 - Biodiversity Recommendation 5

That DPI develops a consistent process to identify, assess and prioritise potential plant pest and disease threats, and aligns it with prioritisation processes used at the national level by Plant Health Australia.

INQ112 REC112-3912 A - Responsibility 25 - Inquiry, audit, lessons management and after action review Recommendation 6

That DPI, as part of the development of the Victorian plant biosecurity strategy, undertake a strategic review of its plant health planning framework so that: • corporate and business unit plans at all levels of the department align to each other and to government policy so that staff have a cohe

INQ112 REC112-3913 A - Responsibility 35 - Business and Industry in relation to industry Recommendation 7

That DPI works with industry to develop a training module on the certification and verification system for inclusion in industry quality assurance programs.

INQ112 REC112-3914 E - Agency Organisation 12 - EM agency and authority Recommendation 8

That DPI develops a consistent approach to recording and enforcing breaches of the certification and verification system.

INQ112 REC112-3915 E - Agency Organisation 12 - EM agency and authority Recommendation 9

That DPI makes arrangements to use contract labour for fruit fly trap monitoring and surveillance before the predicted fruit fly outbreak season.

INQ112 REC112-3916 E - Agency Organisation 16 - Training and behaviour Recommendation 10

That DPI reviews the work of entry level graduates to ensure career paths are clear and encourage the retention of staff.

INQ112 REC112-3917 E - Agency Organisation 12 - EM agency and authority Recommendation 11

That DPI improves monitoring and surveillance of high priority threats and improves the quality of information provided to the Commonwealth.

INQ112 REC112-3918 A - Responsibility 35 - Business and Industry in relation to industry Recommendation 12

That DPI effectively communicates to all sectors of the industry their responsibilities to report new threats, and how to report them.

INQ112 REC112-3919 A - Responsibility 25 - Inquiry, audit, lessons management and after action review Recommendation 13

That the model for state funding be reviewed to ensure that DPI can confidently build and maintain a core level of diagnostic expertise and research capability.

INQ112 REC112-3934 E - Agency Organisation 37 - Funding Recommendation 28

That DPI prepares guidelines, both internally and externally with Treasury, about funding arrangements for an outbreak.