Australian Academy of Science
The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us how important biosecurity is: pathogens can enter Australia, become established and spread quickly. Our national biosecurity system safeguards Australia against many different threats affecting our industries and way of life. Some pests can have a significant impact on our physical wellbeing, such as tramp ants, an invasive species with a painful bite that may inhibit outdoor lifestyles. Agricultural diseases can damage plant crops and threaten people’s livelihoods, such as Panama disease tropical race 4, an incurable fungal disease that affects bananas and was detected in Queensland in 2015. We have also witnessed how a highly contagious virus devastated the Australian horseracing industry in 2007 with an outbreak of equine influenza.
Science plays an important role in reducing the threat of pests and diseases causing damage to the economy, the environment and social amenities. The Centre of Excellence for Biosecurity Risk Analysis (CEBRA) is a biosecurity risk research hub based at the University of Melbourne undertaking applied research to help prevent and mitigate biosecurity breaches. Together with its funding partners, the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE), and New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries, CEBRA researches practical, custom solutions for contemporary biosecurity risk management problems.
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