Quarantine Regulations 1909 (Amendment) (Provisional)

Legislation au C1909L00100 Regulations Not in force Legislative Instrument

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STATUTORY RULES.

1909. No. 100.

 

PROVISIONAL REGULATION UNDER THE QUARANTINE ACT 1908.

I, THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL in and over the Commonwealth of Australia, acting with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, hereby certify that, on account of urgency, the following Regulation under the Quarantine Act 1908 should come into immediate operation, and make the Regulation to come into operation forthwith as a Provisional Regulation.

Dated this twentieth day of August, One thousand nine hundred and nine.

DUDLEY,

Governor-General.

By His Excellency’s Command,

R. W. BEST.

 

Supplementary Health Report.

The Quarantine Regulations, 1909, are amended by inserting therein, after Regulation 5, the following Regulation:—

5a. (1) The form of Health Report and answers to questions prescribed by Regulation 5 shall be used only at the first port of entry of any oversea vessel and shall be prepared and signed in duplicate by the Master and (if carried), by the Medical Officer of any such vessel.

(2) When pratique is granted at the first port of entry the Quarantine Officer shall visé and return the duplicate Health Report and answers to questions to the Master of the vessel for production on demand to any Quarantine Officer at any Australian port.

(3) At any Australian port (other than the first port of entry) which the vessel enters while subject to quarantine, and at the terminal port of the inward voyage in Australia, the viséd duplicate Health Report returned by the Quarantine Officer of the port of entry shall be produced to the Quarantine Officer together with a supplementary Health Report and answers to questions relating to the history and sanitary circumstances of the vessel since its arrival in Australian waters.

(4) The supplementary Health Report shall be in accordance with the following form:—

Commonwealth of Australia.

Quarantine Act 1908.

SUPPLEMENTARY HEALTH REPORT.

Health Report and Answers to Questions as to the present and previous state of health of all persons on board, and as to the history and sanitary circumstances of the vessel during the current voyage, since arrival in Australian waters, and since the vessel left its first port of entry in Australia.

C.9569—Price 3d.


By Master of the said Vessel,

and by Medical Officer of the said Vessel.

(1) Name of the Vessel

(2) (a) Name of last port of call before reaching Australia

(b) Date of departure therefrom

(3) (a) Name of first port of entry to Australia

(b) Date of arrival thereat

(c) Date of departure therefrom

(d) Number of persons (crew, passengers, and others) on board on arrival thereat

(4) Names of ports of call (including first port of entry) in Australia and number of persons landed at each port—

 

 

Name of Port.

Number of Persons landed.

 

 

 

(5) Number of persons now on board—(a) Crew   Total.

(b) Passengers and others

QUESTIONS.

(6) Have you the Duplicate Health Report viséd by the Quarantine Officer of the first port of entry and of any subsequent port of call which the vessel has entered without pratique?

Answer

(7) Has any detailed inquiry or medical inspection or examination of all or any of the persons on board been made since leaving the first port of call in Australia?  If so, give particulars.

Answer

(8) Is there now or has there been on board since arrival in Australian waters any person affected with—

(a) any eruptive fever,

(b) any skin eruption,

(c) any disease attended with glandular swellings, or

(d) any disease which you believe or suspect to be a quarantinable disease?

Answer

If so, state particulars on Schedule A on back hereof.

(9) Is there any other sick, infirm, invalid, or mentally defective person on board the vessel, or has any such person been landed from the vessel at any port in Australia?  If so, state particulars on Schedule B on back hereof.

Answer

(10) Have any dead or apparently sick rats or mice been found on board during the voyage since leaving the first port of entry?  If so, give particulars.

Answer

The above-entered answers and particulars and those on the back hereof are true and correct.

Master.

Medical Officer.

Witness

(Quarantine Officer or other authorized person.)

Port of Date 19 .


SCHEDULE A.

Particulars as to Cases of Illness or Death during the Voyage since Arrival in Australia.

Name and Class or Rating.

Sex.

Age.

Port of

Duration of Illness.

Nature of Illness.

Remarks.

Embarkation.

Debarkation.

Beginning.

Termination

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Master. Medical Officer.

Date Date

 

SCHEDULE B.

Particulars as to any other Sick, Infirm, Invalid, or Mentally Defective Person on Board, or who has been landed from the Vessel in any Australian Port.

Name and Class or Rating.

Sex.

Age.

Port of

Nature  of  Illness, Infirmity, or Defect.

Remarks.

Embarkation.

Debarkation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Master. Medical Officer.

Date Date

Note.—If necessary, amplify Schedules A and B on a separate sheet of paper. Comments of Quarantine Officer at Port of

Notice to Masters.— This report is supplementary to that given to the Quarantine Officer at the first port of call, and should be prepared ready for signature immediately before arrival at any other Australian port which the vessel enters without pratique, and also in all cases on arrival at the terminal port.

A vessel must fly flag Q when entering the first port of entry and any other Australian port entered without pratique, but if any vessel has or is suspected of having any quarantinable disease on board, commercial flag L must be hoisted— see Regulation 3, also Quarantine Act, sections 17 (b), 21 and 22. The sections and Regulation are set out in the sheet of notes furnished to Masters by the Pilot at the first port of entry.

 

Printed and Published for the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia by J. Kemp, Government Printer for the State of Victoria.

Overview

The Statutory Rules of 1909, No. 100, provide provisional regulations under the Quarantine Act 1908, enacted by the Governor-General on behalf of the Commonwealth of Australia. These regulations were introduced to address the urgent need for additional health monitoring and reporting procedures for vessels entering Australian ports. The policy objective is to ensure that vessels entering Australian waters comply with quarantine regulations to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, thereby safeguarding public health. The regulations require vessels to provide supplementary health reports at each port of call in Australia, in addition to the initial health report provided at the first port of entry. This ensures that quarantine officers have up-to-date information on the health status of the vessel and its passengers and crew.

Scope and Application

The Quarantine Regulations, 1909, which amend the Quarantine Act 1908, establish stringent health reporting requirements for vessels entering Australian waters. These regulations apply to the Master and the Medical Officer of any overseas vessel arriving in Australia, mandating that they prepare and sign health reports and answer questions at the first port of entry. The regulations specify that a duplicate of the health report, signed by both the Master and the Medical Officer, must be viséd by a Quarantine Officer at the first port of entry and carried by the vessel. This duplicate, along with a supplementary health report detailing the health and sanitary conditions since arrival in Australian waters, must be presented to Quarantine Officers at subsequent ports of entry. The supplementary report includes detailed questions about the health of individuals on board, the vessel's history, and any instances of illness or suspected quarantinable diseases. Additionally, the regulations require the vessel to fly a specific flag to indicate its health status, with different flags used depending on whether the vessel is suspected of carrying quarantinable diseases. These regulations apply nationally across all Australian ports and are enforced through the provisions of the Quarantine Act, with any necessary amendments made via statutory rules.

Key Provisions

The main operative sections of this Provisional Regulation under the Quarantine Act 1908 (sections 5a to 5d) introduce specific requirements for health reports and supplementary health reports for vessels entering Australian waters. At the first port of entry, the Master and the Medical Officer of any oversea vessel must prepare and sign in duplicate a Health Report and answers to questions as prescribed by Regulation 5 (section 5a(1)). Upon pratique being granted, the Quarantine Officer shall visé and return the duplicate Health Report to the Master for presentation at any subsequent Australian port (section 5a(2)). At any port other than the first port of entry, or at the terminal port of the voyage, the vessel must produce the viséd duplicate Health Report together with a supplementary Health Report detailing the vessel’s history and sanitary circumstances since arrival in Australian waters (section 5a(3) and (4)). The supplementary Health Report must include detailed information about the health of all persons on board, ports of call, and any instances of illness or disease (section 5a(4)). The obligations and requirements imposed by this Act mandate that vessels flying flag Q when entering Australian ports must comply with the stipulated health reporting procedures. This includes the preparation and signing of the Health Report and supplementary Health Report by the Master and the Medical Officer, as well as the viséing of these reports by the Quarantine Officer at the first port of entry (section 5a(1) to (4)). Masters are also required to ensure that the supplementary Health Report is prepared and ready for signature before arriving at any subsequent Australian port (section 5a(4)). Additionally, vessels suspected of carrying quarantinable diseases must fly commercial flag L instead of flag Q (Regulation 3, Quarantine Act sections 17(b), 21 and 22). Any breaches of the health reporting requirements or failure to comply with the mandated procedures can result in legal consequences. While the specific penalties are not detailed in the text, non-compliance with the Quarantine Act 1908 or its regulations could lead to enforcement actions by the relevant authorities, potentially including fines, detention of the vessel, or other regulatory measures. The severity of penalties would depend on the specific circumstances of the breach and the discretion of the authorities involved.

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Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.