My client applied for the role of Biosecurity Officer in the APS (Commonwealth/Federal) Government and progressed to the interview stage. The written component required addressing four (4) selection criteria with a limit of 300 words for each. An excerpt from one of the criteria is showcased.
Describe your understanding of working in a regulatory role and some of the challenges this may present.
Two of the biggest challenges I recently dealt with involved issuing licences based on accrediting inspections and enforcing regulatory standards; and applying the relevant regulation or industry standard to enforce compliance. When I inspected cuts of meat in the abattoir, I found the product frequently did not meet strict specifications as mandated by the regulatory agent. In these instances, I applied corrective action to bring the product back in line with specifications. When the product was packaged, labelled and put into cold storage, I conducted a stock take to ensure orders met specifications. Through the process, I referred to and applied relevant legislation and standards: Export Control Act 1982; Work Health and Safety Act 2011; and Food Standards Australia and New Zealand Act 2001. As a trainer and assessor, I assessed trainees against performance criteria embedded in the modules in line with ‘AS4696:2007 Australian Standard for Hygienic Production and Transportation of Meat and Meat Products for Human Consumption’. I continually monitored them to ensure they applied relevant legislation and regulations. Moving forward, their understanding and application of legislation was a key contributor in passing audits conducted by AQIS and the distribution of uncompromised meat products into the wider community.
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