Under the Constitution is quarantine an Australian Government power?

Three levels of government: Federal, state and local.

Three levels of government in Australia

Parliamentary Education Office (peo.gov.au)

Three levels of government in Australia

Three levels of government: Federal, state and local.

Parliamentary Education Office (peo.gov.au)

Description

The three levels of government  – the law-making bodies in Australia. The Federal Parliament is located in Canberra, the nation's capital. State/territory parliaments are located in the capital cities of each of the 6 states and 2 territories. Local councils are located around Australia in each local council division.

Thank you for your question. The federal, state and territory governments work together to keep Australians safe by providing quarantine at our international borders and within Australia during public health emergencies.

Section 51(ix) of the Australian Constitution gives the Australian Parliament the exclusive – sole – power over quarantine as it relates to the movement of people, animals and goods in and out of Australia. This power is related to the external affairs power (section 51(xxix)).

The states and territories also have powers to quarantine people within their state or territory. They can do this as part of their powers to manage public health and deal with emergencies.