Our way of life is worth protecting. Biosecurity starts with you.

A new national online platform is now live, providing educators, students and community groups with engaging, age-appropriate tools to build biosecurity awareness across Australia.

Developed by Plant Health Australia (PHA) with funding from the Queensland Government through the Queensland Biosecurity Grants Program, the Youth Biosecurity Hub offers a centralised library of curriculum-aligned lesson plans and interactive resources. It also includes an eLearning course, launching this month, designed to inspire young Australians to become biosecurity heroes.

With the premise Biosecurity made easy, the Youth Biosecurity Hub is designed to simplify a complex subject and make biosecurity more accessible to the classroom and beyond.

Australia is recognised as having one of the strongest plant biosecurity systems in the world. Through close partnerships with governments, industries and research organisations, Plant Health Australia (PHA) has helped protect our environment, support farmers and communities, secure international trade, and safeguard our way of life.

This milestone reflects decades of bringing expertise, knowledge and stakeholders together to find solutions that improve plant biosecurity outcomes. It highlights the critical role that biosecurity will continue to play in ensuring a sustainable future for all Australians.

Reaching 25 years is both a time to celebrate and a time to look forward. PHA remains committed to strengthening biosecurity systems, embracing new technologies, and building the resilience needed to meet tomorrow’s challenges.

If you see anything you don’t recognise, or if something feels off, don’t wait. Report it.

The National Exotic Plant Pest Hotline 1800 084 881 is a dedicated number for reporting anything unusual. Calling the number will connect you to the relevant state or territory agency for your location. If you call after business hours, you may be asked to leave a message.

It’s always better to report, even if it’s a false alarm. Reporting can provide reassurance that there is nothing to worry about.

If a new plant pest or disease goes undetected for too long, it can spread. Once it becomes established, it’s much harder and more expensive to manage.

Long-term management can lead to higher production costs or even the loss of an entire industry. That’s why it’s so important to report anything unusual as early as possible.

Australia has a strong national biosecurity system that works to protect our environment, agricultural industries, communities and economy. Keeping Australia free of exotic pests and diseases is an ongoing effort, but our national frameworks ensure we can respond quickly, reducing the impact on your property so you can return to business as soon as possible. 

The national biosecurity system operates at three key levels: overseas, at our borders, and within Australia. understanding how the national biosecurity works can help you prepare for potential threats and know what to expect if a pest or disease is found.   

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry works to minimise the likelihood of pests and diseases entering the country pre-border and at the border. 

Even with strong border protections, pests and diseases can still slip through. All Australians have a legal obligation to report potential biosecurity risks. Catching a pest or disease early, can help stop the spread, and increase the chances of containment and eradication. 

Plant Health Australia (PHA), the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Agriculture Victoria, New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, and Animal Health Australia, have partnered to create the National Biosecurity Training Hub – Australia’s first one-stop online shop for biosecurity training.

The focus on preserving the Australian way of life continues to drive the demand for training resources to support biosecurity preparedness and response activities and ensure that the necessary skills and knowledge are in place to respond to and manage biosecurity incidents.

The National Biosecurity Training Hub (the Hub) offers a central location with a database of biosecurity training resources to help reduce the duplication of effort and costs associated with developing and delivering biosecurity training.

Most of the world’s most damaging plant pests and diseases do not exist in Australia. Maintaining freedom from these exotic pests and diseases are vital to protect our environment, food production, agriculture industries, and Australian way of life.

It is estimated that the broadacre and horticultural crop industries could lose $29.3 billion if the top 40 exotic plant pests become established in Australia.

Biosecurity allows us to preserve existing trade opportunities and provide evidence to support access to international markets.

Producers play a key role in protecting Australian plant and livestock industries from pests and diseases by implementing sound biosecurity measures on-farm.

By implementing the recommended measures in day-to-day operations, producers will improve biosecurity, while minimising production losses and unnecessary costs.

Primary producers who want to improve their biosecurity measures can apply for a low-interest Sustainability Loan through QRIDA.

These loans are designed to help producers and farmers invest in viable infrastructure to support the future of their businesses, the environment and industry.

This includes biosecurity measures such as the purchase, installation and upgrade of washdown facilities, purchase of fencing to keep out pest animals, and CCTV/surveillance installation to ultimately improve on-farm biosecurity risk management.

Biosecurity champions supported under the Queensland Biosecurity Mates Ambassador Program will help raise awareness of biosecurity and strengthen Queensland’s collective biosecurity system.

The 6 ambassadors are from across Queensland and are emerging industry leaders and/or experts across a range of sectors to help advocate and engage the community in biosecurity awareness, prevention and preparedness.

Earlier this year, six ambassadors have been welcomed from across Queensland to help advocate for a stronger biosecurity system. Each ambassador is a leader, or an emerging leader, in their respective field and their experience and expertise is both diverse and inspiring. Ambassadors will advocate for the importance of biosecurity in their field and help raise the profile of biosecurity across the broader community.