OSCA 311134

Biosecurity Officer

Overview

  • Employed persons

    2,100

  • Employment status

    76.5% Full time

    23.4% Part time

  • Median age

    47 years

  • Employment by sex

    40.9% Female

    59.0% Male

    Gender balanced

  • Indigenous employment share

    3.5%

  • Main employing industry

    Public Administration and Safety

Indicator Biosecurity Officer Total employment
Employed persons 2,100 12,049,400
Median age 47 years 40 years
Full-time share 76.5% 64.2%
Part-time share 23.4% 35.8%
Female employment share 40.9% 48.5%
Male employment share 59.0% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Gender balanced Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 3.5% 2.2%
Main employing industry Public Administration and Safety Health Care and Social Assistance
Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

Occupation overview

Biosecurity Officers inspect and assess goods, conveyance, plant, animal and the environment for biosecurity risk to ensure compliance with laws and regulation, and to prevent the incursion and spread of exotic pests and disease.

What the occupation involves

  • Inspects goods, ships, aircraft, passengers, plants and animals, and assesses documentation to confirm compliance with biosecurity requirements
  • Issues legal directions to control identified biosecurity risks
  • Provides advice about biosecurity matters to customers, clients, staff and managers
  • Identifies trends in biosecurity risks, and reports to superiors to assist in targeting intelligence and risk-based activities
  • Participates in biosecurity response activities to control and manage biosecurity incidents
  • Maintains records of biosecurity inspections, assessments and enforcement actions

Common occupation titles

No alternative occupation titles are listed for this occupation.

Specialisations

No specialisations are listed for this occupation.

Skill level (education and experience level)

Skill level 2
equivalent to a Diploma or Advanced Diploma level qualification.

Note: While skill levels are described using formal education levels, some people use a combination of informal learning, on-the-job training and personal experience to achieve an equivalent level.

Licensing or registration requirements

No licensing or registration requirements are listed for this occupation.

OSCA structure

Employment

On this page

    Industries

    Top 10 most common industries, 2021

    Biosecurity Officer Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Public Administration and Safety 77.4% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing 7.2% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Transport, Postal and Warehousing 3.7% Construction 8.9%
    Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 3.6% Education and Training 8.8%
    Administrative and Support Services 1.8% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Wholesale Trade 1.2% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Accommodation and Food Services 0.4% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services 0.3% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Mining 0.3% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Health Care and Social Assistance 0.2% Financial and Insurance Services 3.7%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    States and territories

    Employment distribution by states and territories, 2021

    • New South Wales

      28.4%

    • Victoria

      20.5%

    • Queensland

      20.4%

    • South Australia

      7.3%

    • Tasmania

      5.6%

    • Northern Territory

      1.8%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      1.8%

    Biosecurity Officer Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 590 28.4% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 420 20.5% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 420 20.4% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 150 7.3% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 290 14.1% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 120 5.6% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 40 1.8% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 40 1.8% 248,600 2.1%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    Age and sex

    Employment distibution by age group and sex, 2021

    Biosecurity Officer

    Total employment

    Age group Biosecurity Officer Total employment
    15–24 years 4.9% 14.3%
    25–34 years 16.3% 22.7%
    35–44 years 22.0% 22.3%
    45–54 years 28.1% 20.4%
    55–64 years 23.1% 15.3%
    65–74 years 5.0% 4.3%
    75 years and over 0.4% 0.6%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.
    Sex Biosecurity Officer Total employment
    Female 40.9% 48.5%
    Male 59.0% 51.5%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

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      OSCA occupation profiles data

      This file contains data available from the OSCA Occupation Profile page.

      Use of this data must include the relevant attribution text provided.

      OSCA Occupation data - 2021 Census.xlsx

      xlsx 1236447

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      Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA)

      Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA) is the skill-based classification used to categorise occupations across the Australian labour market. OSCA is used to define occupations across all official occupational statistics. OSCA replaces the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO).

      Each job is classified to one, and only one, group of jobs at each level of the classification with no overlaps. This prevents the accidental double-counting of roles within the Australian labour market. For more information about OSCA, visit the What is OSCA information page, or the ABS website.

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