DBCA Authorisations

Streamline DBCA authorisation workflows - from Animal Ethics to Section 40/45 - with versioned, process-driven digital forms built for regulatory compliance.

Quick start

Documentation is located in docs/.

⚠️ Before any feature development, read docs/FEATURE-DEVELOPMENT.md — this is the authoritative checklist for all development and must be followed on every session.

For setup and development instructions, start with docs/DEVELOPMENT.md.

For testing, see the testing section in docs/DEVELOPMENT.md or the comprehensive guide at docs/TESTING.md.

Open source

This repository is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. See LICENSE and NOTICE for details.

Third-party dependency notices are maintained in THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md, with separate backend and frontend sections.

• Contributing: See docs/CONTRIBUTING.md
• Security: See docs/SECURITY.md
• Releases: See docs/RELEASE.md

Purpose and domain

This system supports DBCA authorisation workflows, including Animal Ethics and Section 40/45 style application pathways. The platform is designed for versioned, process-driven forms where applicants submit applications backed by a questionnaire definition. A single authorisation process can include multiple questionnaire types (for example: New Application, Renewal) and each questionnaire type can have multiple versions over time.

Overview

Architecture & Design: See docs/ARCHITECTURE.md for data model, terminology, and design decisions.

Backend Development: See docs/BACKEND-CONVENTIONS.md for API layer, security, and ordering conventions.

Frontend Development: See docs/FRONTEND-CONVENTIONS.md for React, TypeScript, and component guidelines.

Application Flows: See docs/FRONTEND-API-FLOWS.md for user journeys, routes, and workflows.

Status Workflow: See docs/STATUS-WORKFLOW.md for application status definitions and business logic.

File Management: See docs/FILE-MANAGEMENT.md for attachment design and implementation.

Deployment: See docs/DEPLOYMENT.md for Kubernetes and kustomize configuration.

Writing style

• Use British English spelling in code comments, docs, command names, and developer guidance.
• Prefer forms such as normalise, normalisation, and authorisation.

Notable files

• backend/entrypoint.sh — Production startup sequence
• backend/config/settings.py — Environment and security configuration
• backend/api/views.py — Core DRF viewsets and queryset behaviour
• backend/questionnaires/models.py — Questionnaire data model and versioning
• backend/questionnaires/admin.py — Version clone-on-edit behaviour
• backend/processes/models.py — Process parent object and ordering
• frontend/src/router.tsx — Route definitions
• frontend/src/context/ApiManager.ts — API abstraction