Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy (NAQS)
Overview
Northern Australia is especially vulnerable to pests that could enter from countries to Australia's north. Migrating birds, human activities and wind currents can carry pests to Australian shores from neighbouring countries, potentially using islands as stepping-stones.
Australia's northern coastline is vast and sparsely populated, making it vulnerable to undetected foreign vessels that by-pass the usual quarantine checks at Australian borders.
The Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy (NAQS) was established in 1989 to help address the unique quarantine risks in this northern region. NAQS conducts surveys along our northern coastline and neighbouring countries for early signs of new pests or disease. NAQS also has a high presence in the Torres Strait, monitoring the movement of people and cargo between the Papua New Guinea and Australian mainlands and ensuring high public awareness of people living in this strategically important quarantine zone.
NAQS operates along Australia's northern coastline from Broome in the west to Cairns in the east. This includes the Torres Strait, but excludes the metropolitan areas of Darwin and Cairns. NAQS overseas activities focus on Australia's nearest northern neighbours: Indonesia, Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea.
Roles
NAQS:
- manages the quarantine aspects of border movements through the Torres Strait
- identifies and evaluates the unique quarantine risks facing northern Australia
- develops and implements measures for the early detection of targeted pests and diseases
- strengthens Australia's quarantine through collaborative capacity building activities in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Timor-Leste.
These objectives are undertaken through a program of scientific surveys and monitoring, border activities, domestic and overseas capacity building, and public awareness activities (Quarantine Top Watch!).