By Andrew Tongue, Deputy Secretary and Head of Biosecurity, Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment
Mr Tongue writes:
As we move into a third year of global disruption to the movement of goods and people, it is more important than ever that the department works with industry to support the COVID-19 recovery
Many of the things we take for granted have been impacted by the pandemic. Increased volumes of arriving mail and cargo, and a greater array of exotic pest and disease threats, are also placing unprecedented pressure on our national biosecurity system.
The government, through the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment is investing in a range of new initiatives and technologies to ensure Australia is able to meet the biosecurity challenges that lie ahead.
Underpinning many of these initiatives is the Commonwealth Biosecurity 2030 strategy. Released in May 2021, this keynote strategy is the Australian Government’s roadmap to build a stronger, smarter biosecurity system focused on better regulation and partnerships, and smarter border clearance processes that are data driven and technology enabled.
Despite all the challenges of the last two years, the shipping industry has kept the goods Australians rely on coming to our shores, helping also to deliver goods to our trading partners and maintaining Australia’s access to international markets.
