The Environmental Biosecurity Advisory Group (EBAG) met online on 10 November 2023.
EBAG members were updated on the priority environmental biosecurity work of the Environmental Biosecurity Office in DAFF and work undertaken by the Office of the Threatened Species Commissioner at the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
The Australian Chief Environmental Biosecurity Officer Dr Bertie Hennecke briefed the group on developments regarding the red imported fire ant (RIFA) eradication program.
The group discussed 2 significant environmental biosecurity events coming up in 2024, the Australasian Weeds Conference 25 – 29 August 2024 in Brisbane, and the Biosecurity Symposium to be held on the Gold Coast 27 – 29 August 2024.
The National Resource Management (NRM) Regions Australia member provided members with an update on the new NRM biosecurity hub and the Invasive Species Council covered the latest developments of the ‘Decade of Biosecurity’.
It was acknowledged that many of the initiatives of member organisations align and support each other to help raise the profile of environmental biosecurity and assist the community to understand their biosecurity responsibilities.