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from left, images of: microarray; canola flowers; double helix; and harvesting cotton

About the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator


OGTR Service Charter

This Service Charter outlines the commitment of the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) to provide quality services to the public and users of Australia’s scheme for gene technology regulation. The Charter also outlines the steps available should there be any shortfall in these standards.



About us

The Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) provides administrative support to the Gene Technology Regulator (the Regulator) in the performance of his functions under the Gene Technology Act 2000 (the Act). The Act, which came into force on 21 June 2001, represents the Australian Government component of Australia’s nationally consistent scheme for the regulation of gene technology. Each State and Territory has enacted, or is enacting, corresponding legislation.

The OGTR is located in Canberra and comprises scientific, legal, professional, administrative and monitoring and compliance staff who are committed to keeping up to date with developments in research and regulation around the world. We are a business unit of the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.

Our role and functions

In administering the Act, the Regulator is responsible for protecting the health and safety of people and the environment by identifying risks posed by or as a result of gene technology, and by managing those risks through regulating certain dealings with genetically modified organisms (GMOs). ‘Dealings’ with GMOs include conducting experiments, making, developing, producing, breeding, propagating, growing, importing, transporting or disposing of GMOs. The Regulator also accredits organisations to conduct work with GMOs, certifies containment facilities used for dealings conducted under the Act, and conducts monitoring and compliance activities.

The Regulator is committed to maintaining sound working relationships and consults widely on key decisions with expert advisory committees, State and Territory governments, the Australian Government Environment Minister, other regulatory authorities, and the community. This consultation process is critical to maintaining the effectiveness, credibility and responsiveness of the regulatory scheme.

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Our values

OGTR complies with the Australian Public Service Values and Code of Conduct in all aspects of its business. In addition, we value:

Our service delivery

OGTR staff are committed to delivering high-quality service and to being courteous, considerate, impartial, consistent, honest, ethical and professional. You can expect OGTR staff to:

Monitoring and Compliance staff acknowledge all emails and return phone calls within two working days, and treat reports of incidents or suspected breaches with the highest priority.

To ensure that we meet the needs of our clients we undertake service delivery surveys against the standards of customer service outlined in this Service Charter. Feedback is very important and is used for continuous improvement to meet the expectations in the scheme. The following link provides information about an OGTR client satisfaction survey conducted in 2008.

This Service Charter has been reviewed in light of the results of the Online Service Delivery Survey and future reviews will be conducted at three year intervals

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - Report on the Findings of the July 2008 Online Service Delivery Survey - Office of the Gene Technology Regulator. (Prepared by ORIMA Research P/L)

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What to expect from the OGTR

OGTR staff are committed to maintaining quality service standards to achieve stakeholder satisfaction and place a high value on:

Your role

For effective service and communication, we encourage you to:

Your complaints

Should the OGTR fail to meet these service charter standards, or you experience any difficulties with our operations, please: If you are not satisfied with the Regulator’s response you may raise your concerns with the nearest Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman by phoning 1800 133 057, by writing to the Ombudsman at GPO Box 442 Canberra City ACT 2601 or by sending a fax to (02) 6249 7829.

Contact us

We are interested in your views about our service and our Service Charter. If you would like to make any suggestions for improvements, please contact us at ogtr@health.gov.au, by phone on (freecall) 1800 181 030 or by fax on (02) 6271 4202.
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