Commonwealth Consolidated Acts

BIOSECURITY ACT 2015 - SECT 267

  (1)   The operator of a vessel must give a report if it is intended that the vessel discharge, or the vessel discharges, ballast water in Australian territorial seas.

Note 1:   A person may commit an offence or contravene a civil penalty provision if the person provides false or misleading information or documents (see sections   137.1 and 137.2 of the Criminal Code and sections   532 and 533 of this Act).

Note 2:   The obligation in this subsection applies whether or not the operator of the vessel is in Australian territory when the operator is required to give the report (see subsection   (7) of this section).

  (2)   The report must:

  (a)   include the information in relation to the vessel that is prescribed by the determination under section   308A; and

  (b)   be given in the manner, and to the person, prescribed by the determination; and

  (c)   be given at a time, or during the period, prescribed by the determination (which may be before or after the vessel enters Australian territorial seas as referred to in subsection   (1)); and

  (d)   be in a form or forms approved by the Director of Biosecurity.

Note:   The determination may prescribe different requirements for reports for different classes of vessels (see subsection   33(3A) of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901 ).

  (3)   The determination under section   308A may prescribe exceptions to the requirement to give a report under this section.

Note:   A defendant bears an evidential burden in relation to any exception prescribed for the purposes of this subsection   (see subsection   13.3(3) of the Criminal Code and section   96 of the Regulatory Powers Act).

Failure to give report

  (4)   A person contravenes this subsection if:

  (a)   the person is required to give a report under subsection   (1); and

  (b)   the person does not give the report in accordance with subsection   (2).

Note:   The physical elements of an offence against subsection   (5) are set out in this subsection   (see section   534).

Fault - based offence

  (5)   A person commits an offence if the person contravenes subsection   (4).

Penalty:   Imprisonment for 2 years or 120 penalty units, or both.

Civil penalty provision

  (6)   A person is liable to a civil penalty if the person contravenes subsection   (4).

Civil penalty:   120 penalty units.

Application to persons within and outside Australian territory

  (7)   Subsections   (4), (5) and (6) apply whether or not the person is in Australian territory when the person is required to give the report.

Note:   This section is not subject to the privilege against self - incrimination (see section   635).