Once the consultation process is complete, the industry organisation will need to apply to the Minister for Primary Industries to be named an ‘industry organisation’ representing a specified sector under the Biosecurity Act before it can sign the Deed.

There is no template or standard format for the application, but MPI will provide advice on the structure and content of an application given the sector and industry organisation it is seeking to represent, and its proposed consultation methods. In general, MPI strongly advises structuring the application following the requirements of section 100Z of the Biosecurity Act , as this will help the Minister assess your application more efficiently. You must also provide MPI with a draft in advance of formal application to the Minister. Refer to MPI's template for quick assessment of draft applications. 

In general, the application for an industry organisation to sign the Deed must demonstrate that a majority proportion of sector participants agree to: 

1. The industry organisation signing the Deed on behalf of the sector
2. A funding proposal
3. A process for how their views will be represented during joint decision-making (eg, negotiating an operational agreement)

Additional background information should be included in the application to give the Minister an overview of the organisation, how it operates, and the financial implications for the sector. Useful information includes: 

• the value of the industry (and how this is worked out)
• the number of sector participants and where they are located
• the proportion of the sector that are members of the industry organisation
• the proportion of the sector that were in favour and against the matters consulted on, and how representative this is of the sector’s view
• whether there are other members of the industry organisation or other sector participants that will/will not be included within the definition of the sector (e.g. processors)
• export and domestic trade information (eg, size, proportions, value)
• other levies or membership fees paid by sector participant.

The application should provide evidence that demonstrates the level of sector agreement to the above points and that the industry organisation meets the other eligibility criteria. Refer to the list of requirements and examples of supporting evidence which outlines: 

1. The legal eligibility requirements
2. The factors the Minister may take into account when assessing if the industry organisation meets the requirements
3. The sorts of information the Minister may be looking for
4. The types of documentation that industry organisations can provide to demonstrate they meet the criteria
5. Notes for drafting applications.

This page was last reviewed April 2023

 The PDF documents attached here provide further detail on these items.