Site For The New Post Entry Quarantine Facility Announced

One hundred and forty-four hectares of land in Mickleham, Victoria, has been chosen as the site for the new state-of-the art Post Entry Quarantine (PEQ) facility.

The Commonwealth completed the acquisition of the site in mid June 2012 after an extensive search during which more than 25 possible sites were considered. The Mickleham site was chosen for its climate, proximity to an international airport and supporting logistic and technical services, current zoning of the area and the intended future use of the neighbouring land. “The site at 135 Donybrook Road will replace current PEQ facilities across the country with a sustainable, reliable facility that adopts modern technology and operating practices and consolidates existing Australian Government animal and plant services into a single, integrated site,” said Peter Moore, Project Manager of the PEQ Project. The management of certain biosecurity risks requires all live animals and most live plants (or plant material intended for propagation) imported into Australia to spend some time in a secure post entry facility to enable appropriate quarantine checks to occur before they can safely be released to importers. “The department has undertaken extensive stakeholder consultation to enable staff, facility users and other interested parties to provide input on matters such as facility operations, management of biosecurity risks and also future business needs. “We have looked closely at recent changes in patterns and volumes of imports through PEQ sites and are also considering likely future changes to these patterns,” said Mr Moore. These inputs have supported the development and analysis of options for future post entry arrangements, especially on matters such as the layout and design of each element of the facility. The owners of adjoining land holdings in Mickleham have also been consulted and will continue to be engaged throughout the development of the PEQ facility. The site is expected to start operating in 2015, with all Australian Government run PEQ functions managed from the single integrated site by 2018. This process of consultation will continue through ongoing engagement with DAFF staff and registered stakeholders. You can register as a stakeholder by emailing the PEQ project or by visiting the Future Post Entry Quarantine Arrangements home page on the DAFF website.