IMPORTED FOOD CONTROL ACT 1992

This compilation was prepared on 19 April 2011
taking into account amendments up to Act No. 5 of 2011

The text of any of those amendments not in force
on that date is appended in the Notes section

The operation of amendments that have been incorporated may be
affected by application provisions that are set out in the Notes section

Prepared by the Office of Legislative Drafting and Publishing,
Attorney-General's Department, Canberra

Contents

Part 1--Preliminary 1

1............ Short title [see Note 1] ........................................................................ 1

2............ Commencement [see Note 1] .............................................................. 1

2A......... Object of Act ....................................................................................... 1

3............ Interpretation ....................................................................................... 1

4............ Application of Act to certain external Territories ................................. 5

5............ Crown to be bound ............................................................................. 5

6............ Saving of other laws ........................................................................... 6

6A......... Application of the Criminal Code ....................................................... 6

7............ Food to which Act applies .................................................................. 6

Part 2--Control 8

Division 1--Controls on the importation and movement of food 8

8............ Importation offence ............................................................................. 8

8A......... Labelling offence ................................................................................. 8

9............ Offences relating to dealing with examinable food .............................. 9

10.......... Certain provisions of the Customs Act may be expressed to be subject to this Act 10

11.......... Application for food control certificate .............................................. 11

12.......... Issue of food control certificate ......................................................... 12

13.......... Form of food control certificate ......................................................... 12

14.......... Imported food inspection advice ....................................................... 13

15.......... Holding orders for certain food ......................................................... 15

Division 2--The Food Inspection Scheme 17

16.......... Food Inspection Scheme ................................................................... 17

17.......... Making, publication and disallowance of orders ............................... 19

18.......... Foreign government certificates ........................................................ 19

19.......... Quality assurance certificates ............................................................ 19

19A....... Forging and uttering .......................................................................... 20

Division 3--Treatment, destruction or re-exportation of failing food 22

20.......... Treatment, destruction or re-exportation of failing food .................... 22

Part 3--Enforcement 25

21.......... Interpretation ..................................................................................... 25

22.......... Identity cards ..................................................................................... 26

23.......... Searches to monitor compliance with Act etc. with occupier's consent 27

24.......... Monitoring warrants ......................................................................... 27

25.......... Offence powers--entry and search of premises with occupier's consent 28

26.......... Offence-related warrants ................................................................... 30

27.......... Warrants may be granted by telephone etc. ....................................... 32

28.......... Seizures without offence-related warrant in emergency situations .... 34

29.......... Discovery of evidence ....................................................................... 34

30.......... Power to require persons to answer questions etc. ............................ 35

31.......... Consent ............................................................................................. 36

32.......... Persons to assist authorised officers ................................................. 36

33.......... Conduct by directors, servants and agents ........................................ 37

34.......... Evidence of analyst ........................................................................... 38

35.......... Publishing of information ................................................................. 40

Part 4--Miscellaneous 41

35A....... Compliance agreements ..................................................................... 41

36.......... Fees for certain services .................................................................... 42

37.......... Certain moneys are a debt due to the Commonwealth ....................... 44

38.......... Exemption from suit .......................................................................... 44

39.......... Compensation for destroyed food ..................................................... 45

40.......... Authorised officers ........................................................................... 46

41.......... Delegation by Secretary .................................................................... 47

42.......... Review of decisions .......................................................................... 47

43.......... Regulations ....................................................................................... 49

Part 5--Consequential amendments of other Acts 50

Division 1--Amendments of the Customs Act 1901 50

Sections 44 and 45 ........................................................................................... 50

Division 2--Amendments of the Customs Administration Act 1985 51

Sections 46 and 47 ........................................................................................... 51

Notes 53

Notes to the Imported Food Control Act 1992

Note 1

The Imported Food Control Act 1992 as shown in this compilation comprises Act No. 221, 1992 amended as indicated in the Tables below.

For all relevant information pertaining to application, saving or transitional provisions see Table A.

Table of Acts

Act	Number and year	Date of Assent	Date of commencement	Application, saving or transitional provisions
Imported Food Control Act 1992	221, 1992	24 Dec 1992	15 June 1993 (see Gazette 1993, No. GN22)
National Food Authority Amendment Act 1995	152, 1995	16 Dec 1995	Ss. 1 and 2: 16 Dec 1995 Remainder: 1 July 1996 (see Gazette 1996, No. S230)	--
Primary Industries and Energy Legislation Amendment Act (No. 2) 1996	59, 1996	20 Nov 1996	Schedule 6 (items 1, 2): Royal Assent (a)	--
Primary Industries and Energy Legislation Amendment Act (No. 2) 1997	94, 1997	30 June 1997	Schedule 4: 22 Oct 1997 (see Gazette 1997, No. S418) (b)	--
Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Legislation Amendment Act (No. 1) 1999	4, 1999	31 Mar 1999	31 Mar 1999	--
Criminal Code Amendment (Theft, Fraud, Bribery and Related Offences) Act 2000	137, 2000	24 Nov 2000	Ss. 1-3 and Schedule 1 (items 1, 4, 6, 7, 9-11, 32): Royal Assent Remainder: 24 May 2001	Sch. 2 (items 418, 419)
Australia New Zealand Food Authority Amendment Act 2001	81, 2001	10 July 2001	S. 2(6): Royal Assent (c) Schedule 3 (items 3-5): 1 July 2002 (see Gazette 2002, No. GN30) (c)	S. 2(6)
Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Legislation Amendment (Application of Criminal Code) Act 2001	115, 2001	18 Sept 2001	16 Oct 2001	S. 4
Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Legislation Amendment Act (No. 1) 2004	54, 2004	27 Apr 2004	Schedule 2: 28 Apr 2004	--
Customs Legislation Amendment (Name Change) Act 2009	33, 2009	22 May 2009	Schedule 2 (item 37): 23 May 2009	--
Statute Law Revision Act 2011	5, 2011	22 Mar 2011	Schedule 7 (item 73): 19 Apr 2011	--

(a) The Imported Food Control Act 1992 was amended by Schedule 6 (items 1 and 2) only of the Primary Industries and Energy Legislation Amendment Act (No. 2) 1996, subsection 2(1) of which provides as follows:

(1) Subject to this section, this Act commences on the day on which it receives the Royal Assent.

(b) The Imported Food Control Act 1992 was amended by Schedule 4 only of the Primary Industries and Energy Legislation Amendment Act (No. 2) 1997, subsection 2(4) of which provides as follows:

(4) The items of Schedules 4, 6, 7 and 8 commence on a day or days to be fixed by Proclamation.

(c) The Imported Food Control Act 1992 was amended by Schedule 3 (items 3-5) only of the Australia New Zealand Food Authority Amendment Act 2001, subsections 2(1)(a), (2) and (5) of which provide as follows:

(1) The following provisions commence on the day on which this Act receives the Royal Assent:

(a) sections 1, 2 and 3;

(2) Part 1 of Schedule 1 (other than item 120A), and Schedule 3, commence on the first day after the commencement of this section on which an amendment of the Australia New Zealand Joint Food Standards Agreement comes into force in accordance with Article 10 of that Agreement.

(5) As soon as practicable after the commencement of the following provisions:

(a) Part 1 of Schedule 1 (other than item 120A);

(b) Schedule 3;

the Minister must cause to be published in the Gazette a notice specifying the day on which those provisions commenced.

Table of Amendments

ad. = added or inserted am. = amended rep. = repealed rs. = repealed and substituted
Provision affected	How affected
Part 1
S. 2A...................................	ad. No. 54, 2004
S. 3......................................	am. No. 152, 1995; No. 59, 1996; No. 4, 1999; No. 137, 2000; No. 81, 2001; No. 54, 2004; No. 33, 2009; No. 5, 2011
S. 6A...................................	ad. No. 115, 2001
S. 7......................................	am. No. 94, 1997; No. 4, 1999
Part 2
Division 1
S. 8......................................	am. No. 54, 2004
S. 8A...................................	ad. No. 54, 2004
Heading to s. 9..................	rs. No. 54, 2004
S. 9......................................	am. No. 4, 1999; No. 54, 2004
Division 2
S. 16....................................	am. No. 54, 2004
S. 17....................................	am. No. 152, 1995
Note to s. 18.......................	rep. No. 137, 2000
S. 19....................................	am. No. 4, 1999
Note to s. 19.......................	rep. No. 137, 2000
S. 19A.................................	ad. No. 137, 2000
Division 3
S. 20....................................	am. No. 115, 2001
Part 3
S. 22....................................	am. No. 115, 2001
Ss. 23, 24............................	am. No. 54, 2004
S. 30....................................	am. No. 137, 2000; No. 115, 2001
S. 32....................................	am. No. 115, 2001
S. 35....................................	am. No. 4, 1999
Part 4
S. 35A.................................	ad. No. 54, 2004
S. 36....................................	am. No. 54, 2004
S. 39....................................	am. No. 4, 1999
S. 40....................................	rs. No. 59, 1996
S. 42....................................	am. No. 4, 1999; No. 54, 2004

Table A

Application, saving or transitional provisions

Criminal Code Amendment (Theft, Fraud, Bribery and Related Offences) Act 2000 (No. 137, 2000)

Schedule 2

418 Transitional--pre-commencement offences

(1) Despite the amendment or repeal of a provision by this Schedule, that provision continues to apply, after the commencement of this item, in relation to:

(a) an offence committed before the commencement of this item; or

(b) proceedings for an offence alleged to have been committed before the commencement of this item; or

as if the amendment or repeal had not been made.

(2) Subitem (1) does not limit the operation of section 8 of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901.

419 Transitional--pre-commencement notices

If:

(a) a provision in force immediately before the commencement of this item required that a notice set out the effect of one or more other provisions; and

(b) any or all of those other provisions are repealed by this Schedule; and

the amendment of the first-mentioned provision by this Schedule does not affect the validity of such a notice that was given before the commencement of this item.

Australia New Zealand Food Authority Amendment Act 2001 (No. 81, 2001)

2 Commencement

2(6) In this section:

Australia New Zealand Joint Food Standards Agreement means the Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of New Zealand Establishing a System for the Development of Joint Food Standards, signed at Wellington on 5 December 1995.

Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Legislation Amendment (Application of Criminal Code) Act 2001 (No. 115, 2001)

4 Application of amendments

(1) Each amendment made by this Act applies to acts and omissions that take place after the amendment commences.

(2) For the purposes of this section, if an act or omission is alleged to have taken place between 2 dates, one before and one on or after the day on which a particular amendment commences, the act or omission is alleged to have taken place before the amendment commences.

Commonwealth Consolidated Acts

IMPORTED FOOD CONTROL ACT 1992 - NOTES