Join the front line to protect our plants, animals and way of life.
Do you want to make a valuable contribution to protecting Australia’s agricultural industries, our unique environment and sustain our way of life?
As a biosecurity officer, you can make a difference and help prevent damaging global pests and diseases entering Australia.
Many of these threats could potentially impact Australia’s $74 billion agricultural industries, disrupt Australia’s export trade and supply products to our domestic market. Biosecurity officers operate on the front line, working at Australia’s international airports, seaports and mail gateways to identify biosecurity risks and help prevent invasive pests and diseases from crossing our border.
When you join us, you’ll have training and coaching that prepares you to begin a career that makes a difference.
What I do here at the port helps protect Australia's agricultural industries."
Montage
You spend a lot of time and energy training these dogs. And so when you see them succeed, it's just really fulfilling and rewarding. Every day is exciting with the dogs and you can't have a bad day when you're on the end of a lead. So, yeah.
I like helping prevent those, not just mosquitoes, but all pests and diseases from coming into the country. And obviously mosquitoes spread a lot of nasty diseases around the world. They kill the most people around the world. So I think that it's really important that we try and keep the ones we don't have here out.
So working with the department fits my lifestyle because there's a lot of flexibility in where and how you work. There's opportunities for working remote with also working in the field and in office-based environments. Being a migrant myself, I've always wanted to be part of Australian society.
So I felt really rewarding working here because I can provide my knowledge as well as helping other people and also protecting the country. I love working with teams and in team environments.
So with the Department, particularly the airport, you're dealing much with teams, very flexible. And also the Department offers many opportunities for you to develop and enhance your skills.
Look, if you're a people person and you love working with teams and you want to feel that you want to make a difference to the community and Australian public, definitely join the Department.
And once you get your foot into the door, so to speak, there's vast opportunities with the department.
Why biosecurity is important
Strengthening our national biosecurity system means better protection for Australia’s people, our environment and economy against the biosecurity threats of today and tomorrow.
Our priority is to lower biosecurity risks to Australia and assist industry to accelerate towards a $100 billion agricultural sector by 2030.
We are One DAFF with many careers. Biosecurity officers play a vital role in managing these risks at the border to keep our country and environment safe.
Who we are looking for
We want people who care about protecting Australia’s agricultural, fisheries and forestry industries from damaging pests and diseases.
We’re looking for people who are:
- inquisitive and curious
- focussed with a high level of attention to detail
- decisive
- observant and notice the unusual
- committed to the highest levels of integrity
- professional and people-focused
- keen to learn and be part of an organisation that will help you develop.
Perrie
My name is Perrie, I'm a detector dog handler here with the Department of Agriculture Fisheries
and Forestry and I've been working with the Department for just under three years. So we work across many locations including the airport, our international mail facility and in some ports across the nation they also work in cargo.
We also are responsible for maintaining the proficiency of our dogs so we'll implement a lot of training throughout the day to make sure that they're kept up to scratch as well as conducting inspections if our dogs alert to a response, something like that.
My favourite thing about the job is just how rewarding it is. It's really nice to feel that you're making a difference and you know you spend a lot of time and energy training these dogs and so when you see them succeed it's just really fulfilling and rewarding. Every day is exciting with the dogs and you can't have a bad day when you're on the end of a lead so yeah.
I also have always really loved working with animals so it's really amazing to see what a detector dog can do and you know service animals are quite incredible so being able to pair the two is really an amazing opportunity for me and you know it merges my two passions so yeah I'm really thrilled to be in this position.
I really love seeing what we can achieve out of using these dogs you know pushing them to be the best that they can be and when you see them have successful detection you know you just feel so fulfilled and really excited.
The whole team is really excited you know we back each other and so it's a great environment to be in.
If you're interested I would recommend applying. I would have never guessed that I would be here and I'm so glad that I just applied because I love my job and yeah I wouldn't have been here if I hadn't have just jumped on and given it a go.
What you can expect
As a biosecurity officer, you’ll enjoy:
- a challenging and rewarding career, with variety and a real sense of responsibility
- the opportunity to grow your career in a large and diverse organisation
- training, development and support to succeed
- the opportunity to make a difference every day.
Our biosecurity officers perform their role in 4 main pathways: cargo, traveller, mail and maritime.
Biosecurity Operations Pathways
Greg
My name is Greg O'Brien. I've been with the Department of Agriculture and Fishery, Forestries for years. I'm currently the operations manager at Sydney International Airport.
A typical day for me would be, I oversee approximately staff biosecurity officers and also manage five team leaders. A typical day also would be liaise with our stakeholders such as Australian Border Force and also the management of the airport to ensure that things are run smoothly and more importantly that we make sure that we are managing biosecurity risks and to prevent the induction of pest diseases into the country.
The best thing about my job is probably every day I think I've made a difference protecting our lifestyle for Australians, protecting our fauna that we have a beautiful country that we have. It's very satisfying to know that I've made a difference daily and the fact that every day is different and is never boring with this department.
Look the department understands life, work and balance. They have flexible work arrangements for staff. I love working with teams and in team environments so with the Department particularly the airport you're dealing much with teams, very flexible and also the Department offers many opportunities for you to develop and enhance your skills.
Look if you're a people person and you love working with teams and you want to feel that you want to make a difference to the community and Australian public definitely join the Department and once you get your foot into the door so to speak there's vast opportunities with the Department.
Travellers Operations
Screening, inspection and assurance for international aircraft and crew, air and sea passengers at Australia’s international air and sea ports.
Clare
My name is Clare Waller. I'm a team leader at Sydney International Airport within the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestries.
I've been with the department nearly 20 years. The best thing about my job is the flexibility of being able to move around different locations and different work areas. So I've worked in cargo, I've worked in the mail centre and also at the airport. So even though I've been at the department 20 years, doesn't feel like it.
I've just had a vast array of different opportunities in different locations and also the opportunities for further advancement. So being in higher leadership roles as a manager.
I have four children. Throughout the years of my employment with the department, very flexible. Every time I've needed to take time off, I go on maternity leave or return back from maternity leave. The department's been very flexible with what I needed to do working non shift and shift positions. That's worked in really well with my lifestyle.
Currently at Sydney Airport, I do shift work so that works really well with what I need right now. From when I started in the department to where I am now, I have a real passion for the environment, protecting our borders. It sounds a bit corny but it is really important.
Within my role as team leader and manager, my input to passengers coming through the airport is to educate rather than to infringe, and to create that awareness of how important it is to protect our borders.
Mail Operations
Screening, inspection and assurance for international mail at mail gateway facilities in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
Client Contact Group (CCG)
Our first point of contact for clients. Client Contact Group handle enquiries across multiple department divisions, and respond to and process cargo inspection booking requests.
Cargo Assessments
Assessing documents for clients importing goods into Australia. Cargo assessments also provide high-level client support services.
Cargo Inspections
Inspecting goods, including imported horticultural products, animals and animal genetic material, imported foods, machinery and assessing documents to confirm compliance with biosecurity and export requirements.
Anchalee Chantaweaj
My name is Anchalee Chantaweaj. My role is for safety technical team leader. So I'm providing a technical advice to an importer for officers on the field. If they struggle with an inspection, they're gonna give me acall or send me an email and I'm helping them with the entries.
First of all, I love travel so much and being a mobile officer allows me to travel to different places for inspection. I could go to Canberra tomorrow, and then I will finish my day back in Liverpool, which is really interesting for someone like me who really likes travel.
So you get to see different people all the time and you get to see interesting stuff all the time, which is really interesting for me. It makes me wanna wake up in the morning.
Being a migrant myself, I've always wanted to be part of Australian societyworking here, I was able to serve the whole nation, the whole country, so I felt really rewarding working herebecause I can provide my knowledge as well as helping other people and also protecting the country.
If you are considering becoming a biosecurity officer, don't hesitatejump to the website, apply for it. Once you land in, there's so much opportunity me myself as an example, I was studying as a biosecurity office level four and within the year or so, I've already become a full-safety technical team leader.
So there's so many opportunities within the department itself. So leave your doors open. The opportunities will come and wait inside your door.
Scott
My name's Scott, I work for the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestries. I'm currently a team leader for the cargo area. I've been working for the Department for just over two and a half years now.
I started as a field officer working in the field and I've been promoted to a team leader.
My typical day is very varied. It could be a very administration based day or I could be required to work in the field so I can go from everywhere from working, doing meetings back to back all day,
to working in the field doing machinery inspections and assisting with my team or by myself.
So working with the Department fits my lifestyle because there's a lot of flexibility in where and how you work. There's opportunities for working remote to be able to complete administration tasks from work from home with also working in the field and in office based environments. So there's a lot of flexibility in the Department.
I grew up in a small local community on the coastline. I grew up, so if I say, being on the local beach and hiking and working, going through the National Park a lot of times. So I've been able to protect agricultural industries and also our local environment through biosecurity through the Department.
That aligns with my values and how I want my life and future generations of my kids' life to have these opportunities.
Maritime Inspections
Inspecting vessels and assessing documents to confirm compliance with Australia’s biosecurity requirements, including human health and seasonal pests.
Training
Biosecurity officers must successfully complete our Biosecurity Foundation Program (BFP) - a 6-month national induction for new recruits. It combines self-paced online learning, in-person and virtual courses, and on-the job training.
The program includes:
- an essentials suite and other prescribed departmental courses
- BFP core training which includes technical and corporate elements
- technical training with a mix of formal and on-the-job components
- group and individual assessments.
You will be issued a trainee handbook which will be used as an on-the-job coaching and evidence gathering tool forming part of your assessment.
Our culture and values
We are committed to building and valuing a diverse workforce that works together.
We foster inclusiveness and embrace the diversity of our people. We strive to ensure all our staff feel included and can bring their authentic selves to work.
See more on our people and jobs
APS values
We are a part of the Australian Public Service (APS). This means our staff must adhere to APS values. These are:
- Impartial
- Committed to service
- Accountable
- Respectful
- Ethical
See APS Values, employment principles and code of conduct
Our Core 4 values
We support the APS values through ‘Our Core 4’ values:
- Working together
- Courage
- Diversity
- Excellence
These values help create a shared understanding of how we achieve our purpose, objectives and priorities, and what you can expect when you engage with us. They are underpinned by principles of safety and integrity.
See more on our purpose, objectives, priorities and values
Jobs
If you can see yourself working as a biosecurity officer and want to join our team, sign up to the Job Alert function on our current job vacancies page to receive notification of job vacancies.
Laura
My name is Laura Marsh and I'm the Senior Surveillance Officer for our Vector Monitoring program which is within our science and surveillance group as part of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestries and I've been working here for almost 14 years.
So our vector monitoring program does surveillance around the country at our first points of entry so where planes and ships can come in as well as high risk goods into the country and we monitor for exotic mosquitoes to make sure that they're not coming in.
I know a lot of people don't like mosquitoes but when you look at them down a microscope they're really colourful and I like helping prevent those, not just mosquitoes but all pests and diseases from coming into the country and obviously mosquitoes spread a lot of nasty diseases around the world. They kill the most people around the world so I think that it's really important that we try and keep the ones we don't have here out.
So working with DAFF has really fit well into my lifestyle, they're quite flexible which is fantastic. Outside of the Department I'm a volunteer firefighter so within our EA there is provisions for me to be able to do that volunteer work and so I'm actually really thankful that the Department has that flexibility for me to be able to do that outside.
I grew up in country New South Wales on a fish farm and so I really understand what the devastation could be to our farmers if pests and diseases got into the country so I'm actually really passionate about trying to prevent them coming in as much as we practically can and trying to keep our agricultural and environment free from these pests and diseases.