Commonwealth Quarantine Service
Quarantine Service
1 July 1909 – 7 March 1921
Commonwealth quarantine administration within the Department of Trade and Customs, headed by the Director of Quarantine. It took over the states' quarantine stations and administered the Quarantine Act 1908 at Australian ports, with animal and plant quarantine largely carried out by state officers on the Commonwealth's behalf.
How it came into existence
Began on 1 July 1909, when the Quarantine Act 1908 came into force and the Commonwealth assumed quarantine responsibilities from the states. It was a branch of the Department of Trade and Customs under a Director of Quarantine, first Dr W. Perrin Norris and from 1913 Dr J. H. L. Cumpston.
- Commonwealth quarantine administration under the Quarantine Act 1908
Legislation: Quarantine Act 1908
How it ended
On 7 March 1921 the quarantine service became the nucleus of the new Department of Health, with Cumpston as its first Director-General of Health.
- Human, animal and plant quarantine
Main functions
- Human quarantine at ports and quarantine stations
- Medical inspection of arriving ships, crews and passengers
- Oversight of animal and plant quarantine under the Quarantine Act 1908
- Supervision of the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories (from 1916)
Where it sits
Last in the portfolio of Department of Trade and Customs.
Lineage
Loading lineage…
Sources
Some dates or links for this organisation are not fully confirmed. Corrections are welcome.