A report on the Implementation of Moss Review recommendations was issued today by Australia’s Inspector-General of Live Animal Exports, Mr Ross Carter.

The Review of the Regulatory Capability and Culture of the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources in the Regulation of Live Animal Exports (Moss Review) was published on 27 September 2018 and made 31 recommendations to improve the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment’s regulatory capability and culture.

Mr Carter found that the department has made significant progress in several framework and foundational areas. However, the department must make further improvements in order to make the step change in regulatory practice intended by the Moss Review recommendations.

The inspector-general focused his observations and recommendations on 3 challenges.

Firstly, the department’s ICT systems do not support efficient operations or provide for streamlined industry interaction. They also do not effectively support data and intelligence analytics to target regulatory effort and contribute to the body of knowledge on risk mitigation to animal health and welfare.

Secondly, the dispersed functional model of the department presents a major challenge to delivering an integrated regulatory model.

Thirdly, the department needs to improve compliance monitoring and using a proportionate response model to address poor performance.

The inspector-general considers that the government’s recent budget announcements and implementation of the new Export Control Act 2020 provide a unique opportunity for the department to improve its regulatory practice in this regard.

The report provides four recommendations which the department has supported or supported in principle.

The inspector-general would like to thank those stakeholders who provided information to inform this review.

The final report can be viewed on the IGLAE website