Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forrestry Biosecurity

AQIS aka Australian Quarantine Inspection Service is part of DAFF Biosecurities and they operate in the same vein as Customs, Coast Watch, etc in protecting Australia’s agricultural and environmental economy, not to mention human health. If we didn’t have these Government organisations, Australia will have so many more infectious diseases like rabbies, mad cow, foot and mouth disease, etc which can cripple Australia’s economy and standard of living.
If you are an Australian tourist and you shop overseas ie Bali for instance and send the goods back in a crate or in your luggage, it is AQIS who will inspect those exotic musical instruments or pillows stuffed with god knows what!
The beagles at the airport which you may have adored and said they’re so cute, are doing an important job by sniffing your bags and politely sitting by them as the handler then rewards the dog and proceeds to take you aside and ask a few questions about the contents. There can be a residual smell from an item that was in the bag a few days ago or it can be a little flower sitting in there, the beagles’ sense of smell is so accute they’ll zone in on it.
Some articles can be treated to rid them of pests and diseases at your cost and others have to be incinerated as the risk is too high. Anyone who has an importing business has to have their containers inspected for not only the contents but any hitch hikers on board such as bugs, animals, etc.
Sure you may have paid alot of money for some articles but they can potentially cost Australia and its population dearly. So beware and declare… as their motto goes!