Northern Australia faces unique biosecurity challenges resulting from its significant environmental and cultural diversity, sparse population, vast distances between population centres, extensive coastline (> 40% of Australia’s coastline) and isolated production regions. Due to the proximity to neighbouring countries with existing populations of high priority exotic pests and diseases, natural pathways exist for these biosecurity threats to enter northern Australia, including wind-borne spread (associated with monsoonal troughs and cyclones), movement of migratory species (e.g., wild birds and bats), and tidal currents. Accelerating regional development and intensification of agriculture in northern Australia is resulting in commercial agriculture/horticulture merging with peri-urban communities and areas of environmental importance.

The Northern Australia Biosecurity Strategy Office (NABS) seeks to minimise the threat and impact of plant, animal and aquatic and environmental pests and disease in northern Australia through building an integrated, strong, and coordinated northern Australia biosecurity system. The objectives of the strategy are to:
• Strengthen collaborative partnerships between all system participants and build enhanced coordination of biosecurity actions across northern Australia – for better biosecurity outcomes.
• Implement proactive and forward-looking approaches to capacity/capability building including surveillance and prevention activities in northern Australia.
• Leverage and invest in Australia’s system wide capability, for the benefit of northern Australia biosecurity.

The NABS Team works closely with State and Territory Governments, industry, and First Nations people to design and implement initiatives that are intended to boost biosecurity capacity and capability in northern Australia. This has included the establishment of the Northern Australia People Capacity and Response Network (NAPCaRN) which seeks to improve retention and attraction of the biosecurity workforce in northern Australia. Other signature NABS projects include funding NABSnet (a surveillance network for private veterinarians), subsidies for veterinary students to undertake placements in northern Australia and funding research projects addressing plant pathogens and aquatic pests.