Page 484 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 21 February 2012
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The next amendment is essentially a housekeeping amendment. It will make it a requirement that food businesses display their registration certificates. This will make it easier for members of the public to identify registered businesses. If a business is not displaying a current registration, the public can then inform the Health Protection Service that they suspect the food business is operating without being registered. Registration is required under the Food Act.
As I noted earlier, the Health Directorate has been observing in its inspections gaps in food safety knowledge. It is, therefore, proposed to introduce in the ACT a scheme that has been operating in other Australian jurisdictions. The requirement to employ suitably trained staff has been successfully introduced in Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales. The government is confident that, with the introduction of food safety supervisors, it will be a tremendous benefit for food businesses to ensure that food safety standards are able to be implemented and followed. It will allow food businesses to resolve food safety issues in-house before they become an issue that results in regulatory action. It is acknowledged that it will take time to implement and train food safety supervisors in each individual food business. This is why the commencement of the food safety supervisor provision will be delayed for 18 months. Further consultation is proposed with food businesses, registered training organisations and other relevant stakeholders on any implementation issues.
The fourth amendment proposed by the bill is to update a provision in the Food Act to provide for the publication of details of food businesses convicted of offences to be entered onto a register. This will mean that, rather than a one-time notice concerning food safety offences being placed in a newspaper, a register is maintained by the Health Directorate. It is proposed that this information will be available to the public for up to two years from the date the information is entered on the register. The register will not be retrospective. Therefore, the online register will not be operational until the commencement of this act and, indeed, once an offence has been proved.
The schedule to the bill will harmonise the Food Act to the principles of the Criminal Code. This schedule is an important part of the bill, as it will bring all of the offences in the bill up to date. It is acknowledged that there are offences in the bill that apply strict liability and have penalties that are higher than usual. However, the Food Act is regulating an important aspect and protecting the public health and it is important that appropriate penalties be applied.
Members may be aware of the public attention food regulation has received recently. The Health Directorate is refining its approach to food safety by re-prioritising the use of internal resources, increasing availability of information to food businesses and working more closely with food business proprietors. A dedicated food safety inspectorate has been formed at the Health Protection Service to drive these improvements. I can advise the Assembly that a number of initiatives to address food safety are also underway, some of which are beyond the scope of this bill.
The Health Protection Service will continue to work closely with food businesses and provide relevant information to help food businesses to maintain compliance with food safety standards. The passage of the bill today is a pivotal step forward in
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