Submissions must be in writing and should be sent to the Submissions mailbox for consultations not on the Consultation Hub. All submissions must be received by the due date. Any extensions to the consultation closing date this will be detailed above.
If you have any trouble sending your submission to the submissions inbox, using the Consultation Hub, or your submission contains confidential material email the Submissions mailbox.
What should your submission include?
Your submission should:
- include the number or name of the application or proposal include your name and contact details including: position, address, telephone number, fax and email address
- for organisations, the level at which the submission was authorised
- comment on the issues and options
- provide as much supporting evidence as possible e.g. groups or individuals who may be affected, data on the effect of the proposed decision, relevant technical information
- clearly identify any information in the submission that you wish FSANZ to keep confidential, and provide an explanation of why that information is confidential
- take into account the policy guidelines FSANZ must have regard to
- be simple, clear and concise
- be supported by relevant, reputable and current data where possible
- use appropriate case examples
- include a brief summary, especially if the submission is lengthy.
If possible, submissions should contain scientific evidence rather than conjecture to back up assertions. If no scientific or other validated evidence is provided, we will still have regard to those comments, but may not be able to give them the same weight as information supported by scientific evidence.
Some submitters raise concerns about matters that FSANZ doesn’t have responsibility for, for example enforcement, compliance or food policy. These issues should be raised with the relevant agencies. If in doubt, email the Standards Management mailbox for clarification.
What happens to your submission?
Your submission should be acknowledged within three business days.
Under the Information Publication Scheme, your submission will be published on our website unless you provide appropriate reasons to treat it as confidential. Submissions will be published as soon as possible after the end of the public comment period. Details such as direct phone numbers, personal email addresses or addresses of private individuals are redacted from documents before publication.
Under our legislation, we are required to treat information as confidential if it identifies trade secrets relating to food and any other information relating to food, the commercial value of which would be or could reasonably be expected to be destroyed or diminished by disclosure. Confidential commercial information should be clearly identified and separated from your submission. If FSANZ does not agree that the information meets the criteria for confidential information, you will be given an opportunity to withdraw the submission before it is made public.
You may want to keep only parts of your submission confidential. If this is the case, this should be indicated in your submission.
All relevant issues raised in submissions will be considered by FSANZ. Subsequent reports will address these issues.