National Plant Biosecurity RD&E
Strategy
Dr Clive Noble
Chair National Plant Biosecurity RD&E
Implementation Committee
November 2014
Why is the PB RDE Strategy needed?
• Maintain the biosecurity status of Australia’s $28B
plant industries, including pastures and hay
• Initiated under NPIRDE Framework
• Stakeholder identified issues (Nov 2012)
 Inadequate coordination between jurisdictions, R&D providers,
policy/regulators, funders etc,
 Lack of coherent system for setting, reviewing and supporting
priorities
 Lack of focussed process for the national assessment and
distribution of R&D findings
 Lack of system to assess current capabilities, infrastructure,
matching with current and future needs and addressing gaps
 Excessive reliance on short term funding
 On-going reductions in capacity and financial resources
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AGSOC Committee
•
Agriculture Senior Officers National Research and
Innovation Committee – replaces PISC RD&E
Committee

•
All sector and cross sector strategies report to this
committee
One of two committees under Agricultural Senior
Officers Committee

The other being National Biosecurity Committee
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Strategy Development
• Covers 7 plant based RDCs and relevant to several animal
based RDCs as scope covers weeds, pastures and food
security
• Links to PBCRC and CSIRO Biosecurity Flagship
• In conjunction with NBC’s National RDE Framework
Committee (IGAB RD&E Working Group)
• Strong cross over between endemic and exotic pests implementation necessitate close collaboration with relevant
sector specific strategies
• Animal strategy developed in partnership
• Wide engagement, including workshops, review sector
strategies, industry R&D priorities & IGAB priorities
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Strategy Development
In Scope all pests of:
•
Primary Production crops including:
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Broad acre
Native and Improved pasture
Horticulture
Forestry and timber production
Floriculture
Bees
Food security for animals
•
Weeds
•
Pastures
•
Timber in service
•
Post-harvest horticulture and grains
•
Native plants acting as alternate hosts
Out of Scope:
•
Environmental weeds
•
Native plant pests not
impacting on production
•
Fresh water aquatic plant
pests not impacting on
production
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Implementation Committee
Name
Organisation
Dr Clive Noble (Chair)
Independent Chair
Mr Mike Ashton
Qld DAFF
Dr Gary Fitt
CSIRO
Mr Greg Fraser
PHA
Dr Satendra Kumar
DPI NSW
Mr Tim Lester
CCRDC
Mr John Lloyd
HIAL
Dr Rob Loughman
DAFWA
Dr Suzy Perry
Qld DAFF
Dr Kim Ritman
Department of Agriculture
Dr Michael Robinson
Dr Simone Warner
(Dr Martin Barlass)
Pending
PB CRC
DEPI Vic
GRDC
Mr Rod Turner (Strategy Leader)
PHA
Dr Victoria Ludowici (Secretariat)
PHA
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Committee activities
Three Implementation Committee meetings to date,
planning the way forward;
•
Establish committee (Sponsors HIAL, DEPIV)
•
Project logic frame and key focus areas, leading to;

Stakeholder engagement strategy

Linkages to sectoral strategies of NPIRDE Framework

National audit strategy

Improvements to National PB RD&E system

Forums for identifying RD&E priorities
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NPBRDE Strategy logic frame
Vision: world leading science-based systems and
capability for safeguarding our plant sector from
biosecurity threats
Outcome: A nationally co-ordinated, responsive and
focused plant biosecurity RD&E system that supports
the plant based industries
F
o
c
u
s
a
r
e
a
s
Fully
functioning
and efficient
system –who
does what,
how & when
Increased
engagement
and support
for the RD&E
system
Nationally
agreed RD&E
focus areas
(programs) &
priorities
Access to
capability,
infrastructure
& finance as
needed to
deliver on
priorities
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Focus areas
Fully functioning and efficient system –who does
what, how & when:
 A national system for agreeing and co-ordinating RD&E
activity
 Monitor RD&E activity
 Facilitating improvements in the plant biosecurity RD&E
system
Increased engagement and support for the RD&E
system
 Increased stakeholder engagement and support for, and
investment in, the plant biosecurity RD&E system, including
government agencies and implementation of the IGAB
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Focus areas
Nationally agreed RD&E focus areas (programs) &
priorities
 Develop range of potential national cross-sectoral program areas
and prioritise
 Develop long term RD&E plans in each prioritised national program
 Engage with sectoral activities and agree priority activity
Access to capability, infrastructure & finance as needed to
deliver on priorities

Assess current capability and infrastructure required to deliver on
national programs

Assess the coordination of capability, infrastructure and programs
required to meet future national priorities

Identify level of financial resourcing to meet future needs and
assist organisations to access the appropriate investment
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Stakeholder Engagement
 RDCs, Industry, PHC, governments (regulatory and R&D,
NBC, PHC, IPAC), PBCRC, Universities, CSIRO, other
National RDE Strategies, Museums & Botanic Gardens
 Will have specific strategy for each stakeholder group
 Multiple mechanisms; direct contacts, newsletters, website,
workshops/ meetings, presentations
 Biosecurity Portal – Implementation Committee website: via
PHA
 Various Forums
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Stakeholders - Links to Other Strategies
The Plant Biosecurity RDE Strategy initiating active
links to all plant and relevant animal RD&E strategies
 National RDE Framework sector & cross sector strategies
 National Plant Biosecurity Strategy
 Intergovernmental Agreement on Biosecurity Schedule 8
 Environmental Biosecurity Strategy – links with weeds and
environmental pests
 National Fruit Fly Strategy Advisory Committee
 Other relevant plant RD&E committees
 Current actions, priorities, gaps
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National Audit
•
Committee agreed not to undertake extensive audit as
information quickly out of date and complex to undertake
•
Will undertake targeted focus area audits. First of these are:
*Fruit fly *Diagnostics *Northern Australia
 Current and future needs
 Capability required to meet future needs
 Analyse current capability
 Determine gaps
•
Links to other audits including Subcommittee on Plant Health
Diagnostic Standards (SPHDS)
•
Gap and capacity audit, not a snapshot in time
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Improved plant health RD&E system
•
Deliverable of PBCRC
•
Implementation Committee to provide Steering
Committee (commence Dec 9th)
•
3 phases:
 Analysis of existing RD&E system to support the
Australian plant health system (by June 2015)
 Development of options for improved RD&E system (by
June 2016)
 Agreement on arrangements for implementation (by
June 2018)
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Forums
•
Forum proposed to combine with PBCRC Science
Exchange 2015

will allow for all Australian researchers and regulators
to meet to consider RD&E priorities
•
International RD&E forum being considered in
2016
•
Scope of meetings will be to develop a blueprint
to highlight high priority RD&E areas for
consideration
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•
Implementation of the strategy is organised and
well underway
•
We need and want active engagement
 How do you want to be engaged?
Thank you
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