Changes

Widdringtonia whytei has been added to the ‘Conifer (excluding Pinus spp. and Pseudotsuga spp.) seed for sowing’ BICON case, as the department has assessed that this species poses a low weed and disease risk.
As a result, Widdringtonia whytei may be permitted entry into Australian territory subject to the import conditions under the ‘Conifer (excluding Pinus spp. and Pseudotsuga spp.) seed for sowing’ case.
No other changes have been made to import conditions for Conifer (excluding Pinus spp. and Pseudotsuga spp.) seed for sowing.

Background:
These changes have been reflected in the published Permitted Seeds List (updated on 31 March 2022), which contains conditionally non-prohibited goods which are subject to specific conditions of import, as outlined in the Biosecurity (Conditionally Non-Prohibited Goods) Determination 2021.
This addition is being made following a departmental assessment, which determined that there is a low risk of Widdringtonia whytei becoming a weed in Australia and introducing seed borne pathogens.
The Weed Risk Assessment system is a science-based quarantine risk analysis tool for determining the weed potential of a plant. All plants proposed for importation into Australia and not currently permitted on BICON are assessed for their potential to become weeds in Australia. Further information on the Weed Risk Assessment system is available on the Weed Risk Assessment system is available on the department's webpage .

Who does this notice affect?
Importers of seed for sowing, customs brokers and departmental staff.

Further information:
Contact Plant Import Operations at imports@awe.gov.au or phone 1800 900 090.