Why enter into a Compliance Agreement?

Disinsection Compliance Agreements

Section 66B of the Quarantine Act 1908 (as amended) provides for the adoption of Compliance Agreements relevant to certain quarantine activities governed by these Acts. The Compliance Agreement is a legally binding agreement between AQIS/the Commonwealth and an industry party (the airline), which requires the airline to perform specific tasks in an agreed manner.

Aircraft Disinsection Compliance Agreements

AQIS offers the following Compliance Agreements for airlines flying into Australia:

1. Residual
2. Pre-embarkation

The AQIS/MAFBNZ Schedule of Aircraft Disinsection Procedures contains more information on each of these treatments. AQIS and MAFBNZ are working in partnership and will regulate each other's disinsection agreements and any other undertakings as required.

Entering into a Compliance Agreement with AQIS is entirely voluntary. Where a party chooses not to enter into a Compliance Agreement, AQIS will implement monitoring regimes aimed at maintaining quarantine integrity relative to aircraft disinsection. A Fee for Service charge may apply.

Compliance Agreements can deliver tangible benefits to both AQIS and your airline. Some of these benefits include:

1. Streamlined processes eg airlines can often commence/finalise activities without needing to wait for an AQIS inspector
2. The potential for reduced direct quarantine costs associated with this process
3. Improved staff knowledge as a result of training received in quarantine related activities; and
4. Allowing AQIS to focus on higher quarantine risk activities.

Entering into a Compliance Agreement with AQIS

To enter into a Compliance Agreement your airline must review and complete the following documentation:

The following documents need to be completed and original copies sent to AQIS:

1. Standard Terms
   
   
2. Draft Contract of Services needs to be submitted for consideration. The contract of services must include a clause providing for access by AQIS to the applicator’s disinsection operations and records for the purpose of auditing. The contract must also identify the third party and treatment methods.
   
   Residual Contract of Service Suggested Template
   
   Pre-embarkation Contract of Services Suggested Template
   
   
3. Copy of the current Procedures Manual for applying the disinsection treatment.
   
   This procedure will need to include:
   
   - How your airline will ensure that the disinsection treatment and supporting processes will be conducted in accordance with the procedures detailed in the AQIS/MAFBNZ Schedule of Aircraft Disinsection Procedures.
   - Outline of proposed audit process for the third party applicator.
   - Outline of proposed training including the content of training for appropriately trained persons.
   - Outline of how you propose to ensure applicators meet all training requirements.
   
   
4. A Residual Compliance Agreement: Schedule for the Residual Disinsection Treatment of Aircraft Travelling to Australia 
   
   A Pre-embarkation Compliance Agreement: Schedule for the Pre-embarkation Disinsection Treatment of Aircraft Travelling to Australia 
   

Once completed, the original documents can be returned via mail to:

The Disinsection Manager
Passengers Program
Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service
GPO Box 858
Canberra   ACT   2601
AUSTRALIA

Contacts

For further information about disinsection Compliance Agreements, contact the AQIS Passengers Program National Office.

Non-compliance

Periodic checks of the documentation associated with staff training and formal procedures will be undertaken. AQIS undertakes to monitor the overall disinsection efficacy by completing random live fly bioassays on treated aircraft as per below. Monitoring frequency will be at intervals as outlined in a compliance agreement between the airline operator and either AQIS or MAFBNZ. Trained AQIS inspectors must carry out compliance monitoring.

AQIS and MAFBNZ accept each other's audit results.

Bioassay Audit Procedures

Bioassay audits are required for all aircraft holding residual or pre-embarkation disinsection compliance agreements with AQIS or MAFBNZ. These aircraft require regular auditing by specifically trained AQIS inspectors.

Bioassay audits are designed to assess the effectiveness of disinsection and application procedures. Laboratory bred houseflies (Musca domestica) are exposed to surfaces within the aircraft and assessed for signs of distress varying from excessive grooming and dragging legs to not being able to sustain flight and death (each indicating a functional disinsection application).

AQIS inspectors will notify the appropriate airline personnel that a bioassay audit is going to be conducted prior to commencement of the audit.

Live fly bioassay audits involve placing small cages, each containing live flies, in predetermined positions on the interior of the aircrafts cabin. The cages are attached to treated interior surfaces for 20 minutes so that the flies can make contact with the surface and the status of the flies is monitored by AQIS inspectors.

This method of testing the efficacy of residual or pre-embarkation disinsection treatments was developed with consideration of how the permethrin is applied and the entomology of the target pests. The surface positions and the satisfactory knockdown rates required have been purposefully selected after extensive research and experiments.

Contact AQIS Airports to obtain a copy of the above documents.