Biosecurity legislation
Background
The Biosecurity Bill passed the South Australian Parliament on 6 February 2025, becoming the Biosecurity Act 2025 (the Act).
The Act will commence once the supporting regulations have been developed, and preparations necessary for implementation of the Act are complete. The regulations that support the Act will be clear, practical, and future‑focused.
Until the Act commences, the existing laws governing biosecurity in South Australia will remain active.
The Act will consolidate 4 pieces of existing legislation:
The Act also repeals provisions of the Fisheries Management Act 2007 related to exotic aquatic organisms and diseases. Biosecurity risks arising from these will be managed under the new Act.
Objectives
The Act intends to protect our economy, environment and way of life from pests, diseases and other biosecurity risks by:
- providing South Australia with a modern, flexible and responsive biosecurity framework, including tools to manage risks from pests and diseases
- providing a framework for risk- and evidence-based decision making
- bringing consistency across sectors in responding to biosecurity risks
- aligning South Australia’s biosecurity legislative framework with other jurisdictions to manage biosecurity risks and impacts, enabling effective emergency responses and facilitating market access
- promoting shared responsibility for biosecurity among government, industry and community.
Under the new Biosecurity Act 2025, everyone in South Australia has a General Biosecurity Duty (GBD). This means each of us will be responsible under the Act for taking reasonable steps to prevent, manage, or report biosecurity risks and impacts.
What's happening
Work is already underway to develop regulations under the Biosecurity Act. Draft regulations and discussion papers are in progress and industry, and interagency advisory groups have been established to provide early input.
Initial consultation will involve close collaboration with industry, relevant government agencies, and expert advisory groups. This approach will allow us to include stakeholder feedback, refine supporting discussion papers and identify and resolve stakeholder priorities.
The discussion papers and draft regulations will then be consolidated into a package for public consultation. This will give stakeholders a clear overview of the proposed reforms, with all the necessary context and supporting information.
The public, community groups, and primary producers will have ample time to review the proposals and provide informed feedback during this stage.
You can subscribe to receive emailed updates about the Biosecurity Act.
Attitudes to biosecurity
We undertook a survey of South Australian primary producers and the community to understand people’s awareness, perceptions and behaviours when it comes to biosecurity.
These insights will help us identify where everyday biosecurity practices can be strengthened and guide how we work with industry and the community to protect South Australia from pests, diseases and other biosecurity risks.
Key findings regarding biosecurity awareness include:
- 73% of the general population and 76% of primary producers see biosecurity as everyone’s responsibility
- 92% of the community and 98% of primary producers recognise the seriousness of biosecurity risks
- willingness to act is strong – 70% of the community and 92% of primary producers would take action on a biosecurity risk
- awareness increases significantly when supported by a definition, reaching 90% of the community and 98% of primary producers.
Next steps
The Act represents a major legislative reform for South Australia’s biosecurity system, and getting important work of this nature right takes time and careful planning.
Consultation and incorporation of feedback from all advisory groups will continue through to early 2027. Public consultation on the draft discussion papers and regulations will take place in the second half of 2027.
The Biosecurity Act is expected to commence in mid-2028.
By taking the time to do this properly, we are building a strong foundation to protect and support our community, environment and economy.