ACT
Canberra is one of our favourite places to visit, particularly many of their wonderful food outlets. We were therefore shocked to read mandated health assessments are carried out on average every three years, and sometimes once every five years. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-18/pest-infested-chicken-shop-not-inspected-in-18-months/9507162 ABC Canberra reported serious outbreaks of salmonella and listeria.
Such assessments are carried out in WA in accordance with Australian Food Safety Assessment (AFSA) standards at least once a year by Health Officers attached to Local Government Authorities.
Rural WA
Small councils can't usually afford to employ a dedicated health inspector. There are a number of ROCs (Regional Organisation of Councils) throughout WA, and who pool resources to employ one officer to service several shires.
AFSA inspections can be extremely time consuming to conduct and ever more so to process. Inspect can save up to 80% in processing time, freeing up valuable time for Environmental Health inspectors to attend to other matters in their remit.