The Act – Overview Offences Section 17 Notifiable organisms: offences
37.This section states that it is an (1)offence for the director of a diagnostic laboratory to fail without reasonable excuse to comply with the duty of notification. Where the director of a diagnostic laboratory commits an offence and is employed by a body corporate, the body corporate also commits the offence. In proceedings for an offence under this section, it is a defence for the accused director of a diagnostic laboratory to prove that all due diligence was exercised and all reasonable steps taken to avoid committing the offence. For the accused body corporate, it is a defence to prove that the body corporate (or its employee or agent) exercised all due diligence and took all reasonable steps to avoid committing the offence.