Complying with Defence Export Controls: a working perspective
Joanna L Gray A B , Torsten Theis A and Alexa M Kaufer AA Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia Quality Assurance Programs, Biosecurity Program, Sydney, NSW, Australia
B Email: joanna.gray@rcpaqap.com.au
Microbiology Australia 41(3) 139-142 https://doi.org/10.1071/MA20037
Published: 20 August 2020
Abstract
The Royal College of Pathologists (RCPA) and then RCPA Quality Assurance Programs Pty Ltd (RCPAQAP), a company independent from but aligned with the RCPA, have been producing proficiency testing programs (PTP) for infectious diseases for 52 years. This involves sending infectious disease material in surveys to over 80 countries worldwide throughout any year. The PTP panels are developed depending on the prevalence of diseases, which requires flexible panel composition and dynamic enrolments. The Defence Trade Controls Act was introduced in 2012 as part of a wider international regulatory counter-proliferation framework. In 2017, the inclusion of inactivated infectious diseases as controlled microorganisms in the Defence Strategic Goods List (DSGL) had the potential to completely disrupt the RCPAQAP business model in the provision of infectious disease PTP. Some strategies for mitigating this risk are discussed in this paper.
References
[1] Australian Government, Department of Defence, Defence Export Controls. https://www.defence.gov.au/ExportControls/ (accessed 4 June 2020).[2] Australian Government, Department of Defence, Defence Export Controls. Export Control Policy. https://www.defence.gov.au/ExportControls/Policy.asp (accessed 4 June 2020).
[3] Australian Government, Department of Defence, Defence Export Controls. The Defence and Strategic Goods List. https://www.defence.gov.au/ExportControls/DSGL.asp (accessed 4 June 2020).
[4] The Australia Group. https://australiagroup.net/en/ (accessed 4 June 2020).
