Centenary of the Quarantine Act 1908
By CAA | Tuesday, 15 April 2025
The Royal Australian Mint released a special one dollar coin featuring a detector dog on duty to mark the centenary of Australian Quarantine.
The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) is responsible for protecting Australia's borders from exotic pets and diseases. AQIS also provides import and export inspection to support access to overseas markets.
This special uncirculated coin acknowledges the work and commitment of AQIS in protecting Australia's unique environment and the multi-million dollar agricultural and tourism industries. The success of these quarantine practices has resulted in Australia remaining free from many of the world's worst agriculture pests and diseases.
Whilst many Australians are aware of the work carried out by detector dogs at airports, the dedication and extraordinary work carried out by many individuals and organisations is often less known.
The centenary is a unique opportunity to acknowledge the work and commitment of the thousands of staff who inspect and clear millions of passenger items, ships, mail items, cargo containers, plants and animals and live imports and exports each year. Their integrity and professionalism helps protect Australia's multi-billion-dollar industries and our natural flora and fauna.
- Stephen Hunter, AQIS Executive Director
The coin design features a luggage bag shaped as Australia, with stickers identifying the key hazards and protection issues. Also featured is a Beagle detector dog on duty.
Beagles are selected as AQIS detector dogs because of their friendly nature and their extraordinary sense of smell, which is said to be at least 100 times more acute than humans. Whilst Beagles are commonly selected, other breeds such as Labradors, Border Collies, Pointers and Terriers have also been found suitable as detector dogs.
In 2015, the Biosecurity Act 2015 replaced most of the Quarantine Act 1908, which was wholly repealed on 16 June 2016 by the Biosecurity (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Act 2015. The new Act was a major reform of the Quarantine Act, in particular in its strengthening and modernising the biosecurity legislation in Australia.
New requirements included how the then Department of Agriculture and Water Resources would manage biosecurity risks associated with goods, people and vessels entering Australia.
1 dollar 2008 price guide and values
