Biosecurity in Australia
National biosecurity in Australia is governed and administered by two federal government departments, the Department of Health and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. The Biosecurity Act 2015 (C'wealth) and related legislation is administered by the two departments and manages biosecurity risks at the national border. The Act aims to manage biosecurity risks to human health, agriculture, native flora and fauna and the environment. It also covers Australia's international rights and obligations, and lists specific diseases which are contagious and capable of causing severe harm to human health. Each state and territory has additional legislation and protocols to cover biosecurity in their jurisdiction (post-border) including the detection of pests and diseases that have breached the national border.
The Intergovernmental Agreement on Biosecurity (IGAB) created a framework for governments to coordinate and identify priority areas of reform and action to build a stronger and more effective national biosecurity system, and established the National Biosecurity Committee (NBC) in 2012.
Background[edit]
The term "biosecurity" was initially used in a narrower sense, to describe preventative and quarantine procedures put in place to minimise the risk of damage to crops, livestock and the environment by invasive pests or diseases that might enter any location. However, the term has evolved to include the oversight and control of biological threats to people and industries as well, including those from pandemic diseases and bioterrorism, whatever or wherever the origin of the organism causing the damage. Biosecurity is now understood as a process involving a defined set of measures and management strategies, designed not only to stop undesirable organisms from getting into the country, but also to quickly discover and eradicate them, or, if eradication proves impossible, to reduce their impact as much as possible.[1]
Australia is to some degree protected from exotic pests and diseases by its geographic isolation, but with its island form comes a huge length of border (the coastline),[1] with the sixth longest coastline in the world, at 25,780 kilometres (16,020 mi).[2][3]
Agricultural and environmental biosecurity coordination[edit]
Intergovernmental Agreement on Biosecurity (IGAB)[edit]
The Intergovernmental Agreement on Biosecurity (IGAB) was created in January 2012. It was an agreement between the federal, state and territory governments, with the exception of Tasmania, intended to "improve the national biosecurity system by identifying the roles and responsibilities of governments and outline the priority areas for collaboration to minimise the impact of pests and disease on Australia's economy, environment and the community". It was focussed on controlling animal and plant pests rather than human biosecurity, as it was considered that this aspect was already covered by existing agreements, and set out to improve collaboration and understanding of shared responsibilities among all parties, including industry stakeholders.[34]
The 2012 IGAB created a framework for governments to coordinate and identify priority areas of reform and action to build a stronger and more effective national biosecurity system. The agreement comprised two parts: the first part established the goal, objectives and principles of the system, as well as the purpose and scope of the agreement; the second part, the schedules, outlined the priority work areas for governments and their key decision-making committee, the NBC (National Biosecurity Committee). The work based on IGAB led to the development of significant and sound national policy principles and frameworks, including the National Environmental Biosecurity Response Agreement (NEBRA).[35]
2017 review[edit]
An independent review of Australia's biosecurity system and the underpinning IGAB undertaken in 2017, resulting in the Priorities for Australia's biosecurity system report, noted that the "application of shared responsibility for biosecurity is difficult and challenging,... primarily because the roles and responsibilities of participants across the national biosecurity system are not clearly understood, accepted, or consistently recognised across the system by all involved". The review examined many aspects of the existing system.[35]
Excluded from the review were:[35]
State-based agencies and legislation[edit]
Summary of state-based legislation[edit]
State and Territory Governments have authority for biosecurity within their jurisdiction and administer specific biosecurity legislation to manage pests and diseases, including the movement of goods, plants and animals between States that pose a biosecurity risk.
As of May 2020, the NSW, WA, Queensland and Tasmanian Governments have developed and passed consolidated Biosecurity Acts. The Australian Capital Territory Government has developed a framework for a new Act, which will closely align with the New South Wales legislation. The Government of South Australia is in the process of developing a new Act.[39]
ACT[edit]
The Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate of the Australian Capital Territory is responsible for biosecurity. As of May 2020, two Acts provide the mechanisms "to protect the health and welfare of people and animals and to protect markets relating to animals and plants and associated products": the Animal Diseases Act 2005 and the Plant Diseases Act 2002, while the Pest Plants and Animals Act 2005 protects land and aquatic resources from threats posed by from animal and plant pests in the ACT.[40]
Between 2017 and 2019, consultation took place on proposals for a new ACT Biosecurity Act, to manage biosecurity as a shared responsibility consistent with approaches taken by the other states and the Commonwealth.[41][42]
CSIRO[edit]
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the government agency responsible for scientific research, collaborates with the relevant government departments, as well as industry, universities and other international agencies, to help protect Australian people, livestock, plants and the environment.[79]
In 2014, CSIRO produced an 87-page document titled Australia's Biosecurity Future: Preparing for Future Biological Challenges.[80][81]