Biosecurity Obligations

All Queenslanders have a ‘general biosecurity obligation’ (GBO) under Queensland's Biosecurity Act 2014. This means that everyone is responsible for managing biosecurity risks that are:

• under their control and
• that they know about or should reasonably be expected to know about.

Under the GBO, individuals and organisations whose activities pose a biosecurity risk must:

• take all reasonable and practical steps to prevent or minimise each biosecurity risk
• minimise the likelihood of causing a ‘biosecurity event’, and limit the consequences if such an event is caused
• prevent or minimise the harmful effects a risk could have, and not do anything that might make any harmful effects worse.

More information including fact sheets can be found on the Department of Primary Industries - General Biosecurity Obligation web page.

Council’s main role under the Biosecurity Act 2014 is controlling pest animals and plants on Council managed lands and working with stakeholders to assist them in complying with their responsibilities. Please refer to Council's Pest Plants including Aquatic and Pest Animals web pages for further information.

Actively managing pest plants and pest animals contributes towards meeting your GBO under the Biosecurity Act 2014. For landholders, management may be demonstrated by having and implementing a Burdekin Shire Council Biosecurity Property Plan.  For Council it is delivering works in line with Council’s Biosecurity Plan.