FOI 2017/18-54 Document 1
June 2017
Action Plan (Herbarium Samples through Mail pathway)
Background:
In April 2017, the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources became aware that there were two instances of destruction of Herbarium
Specimens – one in Brisbane, one in Sydney. Both imports came through the mail pathway and were identified as having incomplete or nil import
documentation.
A thorough internal review of both incidents by senior management identified improvements to avoid future reoccurrence. The review findings
highlighted a number of process improvements and, importantly, confirmed compliance of the department’s work instructions with relevant
legislation.
Actions comprise themes involving staff training, process improvement and clarifying BICON conditions. The action below summarises the actions
and timeframe for implementation.
T +61 2 6272 3933
18 Marcus Clarke Street
GPO Box 858
agriculture.gov.au
F +61 2 6272 5161
Canberra City ACT 2601
Canberra ACT 2601
ABN 24 113 085 695
ACTION PLAN
Issue
Activity
Timeframe
Responsibility
Outcome
1. Training:
1. Staff undertake refresher training in the following modules with
6 months
Directors mail
an emphasis on handling botanical collections.
program and service
delivery
-
Introduction to Mail Operations eLearning course
- Mail assessment training course (classroom training
followed by online knowledge assessment)
- Mail assessment and inspection national job card.
These activities will all be registered in LearnHub
2. Process
1. Level of approval for disposal of commodities such as Herbarium Immediate
Service Delivery
Completed
improvement
specimens, or other items of like intrinsic value, to be assigned to
Service Delivery
Assistant Director.
2. Instruction to gateway facilities to segregate goods awaiting
Service Delivery
documentation attesting to compliance from those goods routinely
Immediate
Completed
awaiting disposal.
Service Delivery
3 months
3. Confirmation of practice regarding goods arriving without a
permit.
1 month
4. Implementation of Operational Staff Notice (OSN) to clarify
process for destruction of goods.
2
3. BICON case
1. Review BICON conditions to
3 months
Plant imports
• specify preferred commercial pathway (air cargo) for
conveyance of botanical collections
• clearly express methods of disposal for goods forfeited to
the Commonwealth.
• Clearly express requirements for sender to more clearly
identify botanical collections and declared value on
packaging
3
Case: Herbarium specimens Effective:
11 Mar 2017 to 01 Apr 2017
Fully preserved and identified — Not knowingly infected — Vascular plants (
Nil Import Permit Required)
https://bicon.agriculture.gov.au/BiconWeb4.0/ImportConditions/Conditions/CasePathwaySection?EvaluatableElementId=1987
04&Path=UNDEFINED&UserContext=External&EvaluationStateId=3818a83b‐6232‐4fb1‐8249‐
f9dfbde823fd&caseElementPk=610790&PathwayPk=226
‐ Subsequently the department could not ascertain whether the herbarium specimens required a permit or not
‐ The officer that initially stored the package in our detained goods area remembers the box as approximately 50cm
x 30cm x 5cm in volume, wrapped in brown paper with documents (in French) affixed to the outside. The officer has
no recollection of it having “ATTENTION QUARANTINE” written on the package (This is a required import condition
for Herbarium Specimens not requiring an Import Permit) but does recall the customs declaration on the package
stating an estimated value of $2.00
‐ The goods were subsequently opened by Australia Post and inspected by a Biosecurity Officer who issued a Mail
and Passenger System (MAPS) entry, reference no: QM17000010. The goods were secured and a MAPS direction
was mailed to the client (Queensland Herbarium) outlining shortfalls with adherence to import conditions. This
direction included clarification that unless arrangements were made for the goods to be exported to the sender, or
additional information was provided demonstrating compliance with import conditions within 30 days of the notice,
that the goods would be forfeited to the Commonwealth in accordance with s628 of the Biosecurity Act 2015.
6 January 2017 (Friday)
‐ Queensland Herbarium contacted the departmental detained goods Office (via telephone). During this call, the
client identified that they had a permit but were not aware that they were being sent this specimen. Furthermore
the client indicated that they would send through the required documents for release (i.e. Import Permit and
Supplier Declaration).
‐ Despite this conversation, nil correspondence was received by the department until Friday 3 March 2017 (past the
legislated 30 day timeframe). The client at this stage brought to the department’s attention that they attempted to
contact the Detained Goods Office via email on Friday 6 January 2017, however that they mistyped the email
address and subsequently the department did not receive the required documentation.
3 March 2017 (Friday)
‐ Queensland Herbarium contacted the detained goods office (via telephone). The Biosecurity Officer once again
requested the appropriate documentation via email. An email was then send to the department with the Import
Permit (but lacking the required supporting documentation). The Biosecurity Officer then responded requesting the
outstanding import documentation.
21 March 2017 (Tuesday)
‐ The department conducted a routine destruction of goods process, that is undertaken for goods that have been
forfeited to the Commonwealth. This process involves verifying that goods are of low value, in this instance declared
as $2.00
‐ The box containing the herbarium specimens were part of this process given that they had been held by the
department since early January, a timeframe well past the initial 30 day allowance for provision of information.
‐ Subsequently the goods were picked up by an approved waste handling provider for destruction.
23 March 2017 (Thursday)
2
‐ Queensland Herbarium contacted the departmental detained goods office with the appropriate paperwork to
comply with import conditions outlined in MAPS direction QM17000010 dated 4 January 2017.
29 March 2017 (Wednesday)
‐ After investigations by the department, Queensland Herbarium were contacted by a Biosecurity Officer and
informed that goods had been sent to waste provider for destruction.
31 March 2017 (Friday)
‐ The department sought cooperation from the waste handling provider to source the bins collected from the
Brisbane Gateway Facility
3 April 2017 (Monday)
‐ The department contacted Queensland Herbarium and confirmed that despite efforts to source the bins over the
weekend, that the box containing the specimens had in fact been incinerated by the approved waste handling
provider.
‐ The department has instigated the following corrective actions:
The officer that disposed of the goods has been counselled
A separate storage area has been assigned for “Goods secured pending further information”
MAPS paperwork is affixed to all detained goods and HOLD labels are being used with additional notation.
Detained goods are now being held for at least 35 days past last communication (instead of 35 days after
importation (as per legislative requirements)).
2 x officers are being used for all disposals, adding an additional layer of verification. MAPS is accessed and
comments verified prior to disposal.
All mail officers were informed of these changes.
Further control measures that are being introduced:
A simplified email alias has been created (xxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx) and will be provided on all written
correspondence and directions sent to clients. This is to avoid confusion and typographical errors for our
clients. The standard email address (xxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx) is more complex and leads to confusion.
Both email addresses are active and direct emails into the same inbox.
An email auto‐reply is being developed to provide further information to our clients and to inform them of
their email delivery/acceptance.
3
FOI2017/18-54 Document 3
Media statement
Date Month 2017
A reminder of the importance of Australia’s biosecurity
import conditions
The recent media coverage of the destruction of herbaria specimens
being imported by the Queensland Herbarium serves as a timely
reminder of the importance of Australia’s biosecurity requirements.
Plant and animal materials could harbour exotic pests and diseases that
could damage Australia’s unique flora and fauna, our communities and
our $59 billion agricultural industries.
The department acknowledges the significance of these specimens as a
botanical reference collection, and their destruction was an unfortunate
and regrettable outcome—however, it is one that could easily have been
avoided had the package been sent with the required import
documentation.
To protect Australia from potentially devastating biosecurity risks, we
have special requirements that apply to the import of any items
containing plant or animal materials.
Members of the public should avoid bringing plant or animal materials in
through the mail, as there are biosecurity requirements that must be
met.
However, special items—like museum specimens or other cultural and
historical artefacts—need special handling, and the department
facilitates the safe importation of many such items each year.
In the case of herbarium specimens, we require that they are free from
pests, have a declaration to tell us what they are and are labelled so we
can detect them amongst the vast numbers of mail items our Biosecurity
Officers screen every day.
In the case of the specimens destined for the Queensland Herbarium,
there was no prior notification of the package’s arrival or its significance,
and it was sent in the regular mail, wrapped in nondescript brown paper,
with a declared value of $2 and no special markings to indicate its
importance.
This meant that there was nothing to distinguish it as unique amongst
the 138 million mail items our Biosecurity Officers screen every year—
until one of our sniffer dogs identified it as containing items that could
pose a potential biosecurity risk.
T +61 2 6272 3232
18 Marcus Clarke Street
GPO Box 858
agriculture.gov.au
E xxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx Canberra City ACT 2601
Canberra City ACT 2601
@DeptAgNews
ABN 24 113 085 695
Media statement
Date Month 2017
Import conditions for herbarium specimens are important in order to
protect Australia’s unique flora and fauna, our communities and our
$59 billion agricultural industries from potentially devastating exotic
pests and diseases.
The department has met with representatives from Managers of the
Australasian Herbarium Collections to review this incident and assist
herbaria representatives in understanding and complying with
Australia’s import conditions.
The department is also undertaking a comprehensive review of this
incident and has revised processes to minimise the risk of a re-
occurance.
This is a timely reminder that when sending items through the mail,
goods which may present a biosecurity risk must comply with Australian
import conditions. Breaching Australian biosecurity laws can result in
penalties including fines and prosecution.
To find out more, visit agriculture.gov.au/travelling
Approvals
Line area approval
Lyn O’Connell, Nico Padovan
Date
12/05/17
Media
Bronwyn Hill
Date
12/05/17
T +61 2 6272 3232
18 Marcus Clarke Street
GPO Box 858
agriculture.gov.au
E media@agriculture,gov.au Canberra City ACT 2601
Canberra City ACT 2601
@DeptAgNews
ABN 24 113 085 695
