284

Biosecurity systems improvement, capacity building and training

To strengthen biosecurity in Australia and other countries by addressing biosecurity threats overseas, including by improving the capacity of Australia's trading partners and other countries to respond to biosecurity threats by assisting officials from those countries to:

(a) attend international biosecurity fora in Australia and overseas; and

(b) participate in capacity-building training and other related activities in Australia and overseas.

This objective also has the effect it would have if it were limited to providing funding or support for activities relating to:

(a) interstate or overseas trade and commerce; or

(b) quarantine; or

(c) aliens (within the meaning of paragraph 51(xix) of the Constitution); or

(d) places, persons, matters or things external to Australia or matters affecting Australia's relations with foreign countries; or

(e) matters affecting Australia's relations with the islands of the Pacific.

285

Priority pest and disease planning, surveillance and response

To support the following measures to reduce the likelihood of an exotic pest or disease entering Australia and mitigate the impacts of any such pest or disease that succeeds in breaching Australia's borders:

(a) developing and implementing national action plans for Australia's priority pests and diseases, including developing diagnostic tools and approaches to improve surveillance techniques;

(b) intelligence gathering, surveillance and capacity building in other countries for pest and disease control;

(c) developing Australia's diagnostic capacity for identifying plant and animal pests and diseases, including by providing support for the operational costs of the Australian Animal Health Laboratory;

(d) the Australian foot and mouth disease vaccine bank;

(e) biosecurity-related activities in areas of Commonwealth responsibility, including certain Territories and Commonwealth-held land.

This objective also has the effect it would have if it were limited to providing funding:

(a) in relation to trade and commerce with other countries, or among the States and Territories; or

(b) for measures in connection with quarantine; or

(c) in relation to places, persons, matters or things external to Australia; or

(d) for measures to give effect to Australia's obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity, particularly Article 8(h); or

(e) by way of grants of financial assistance to a State or Territory; or

(f) in, or in relation to, a Territory; or

(g) in, or in relation to, a Commonwealth place; or

(h) for activities done in the exercise of the executive power of the Commonwealth; or

(i) for measures that are peculiarly adapted to the government of a nation and cannot otherwise be carried on for the benefit of the nation.