National Biosecurity Committee

On 1 July 2008 the National Biosecurity Committee (NBC) became the advisory committee to the:

• Primary Industries Standing Committee (PISC) 
• Primary Industries Ministerial Council (PIMC)

The NBC was established to provide strategic leadership in managing national approaches to emerging and ongoing biosecurity policy issues across jurisdictions and sectors. NBC will take an overarching, cross-sectoral approach to national biosecurity policy, and will work collaboratively to achieve national policy objectives for biosecurity in Australia.

All biosecurity issues, including environmental, animal and plant biosecurity issues, are considered by the NBC, with a view to resolution or for the development of advice to PISC and PIMC as appropriate.

The NBC meets three times a year in February, July and October/November.

For further information contact the NBC Secretariat.

NBC Update

The National Biosecurity Committee (NBC) met for the eleventh time in Cronulla on 28 July 2011. The meeting was chaired by Ms Rona Mellor, Deputy Secretary – Biosecurity, Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
The meeting focused on progressing key national approaches to enhance Australia’s biosecurity system including:

• Developing governance and management arrangements for invertebrates impacting on the environment and social amenity
• Enhancing the draft National Transitional Containment Program arrangements based on experiences with transition to management programs for myrtle rust, the Asian honey bee and European house borer.
• Improving future policies for post-border arrangements for exotic pests and diseases beyond eradication
• Determining priority pests and diseases to continue testing the National Framework for Biosecurity Benefit: Cost Analysis through the national core capacity
• Progressing future information technology and communication needs for the national biosecurity system
• Improving biosecurity emergency preparedness capability and capacity
• Enhancing communication activities during emergency responses and assist in preparedness

The next meeting of the NBC is on 27 October 2011.