National Biosecurity Committee

The National Biosecurity Committee (NBC) is formally established under the Intergovernmental Agreement on Biosecurity (IGAB). The NBC provides strategic leadership in managing national approaches to emerging and ongoing biosecurity policy issues across jurisdictions and sectors, and provides advice to the Agriculture Senior Officials' Committee (AGSOC) and the Agriculture Ministers' Meeting (AMM). The NBC takes an overarching, cross-sectoral approach to national biosecurity policy, and works collaboratively to achieve national policy objectives for biosecurity in Australia. The Secretary, Deputy Secretary of the Biosecurity, Operations and Compliance Group of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Water and the Environment co-chairs the NBC with a annually rotating jurisdictional co-chair, a member of AGSOC. The department is also represented by the Deputy Secretary, Biosecurity, Operations & Compliance Group and Deputy Secretary, Environment & Heritage Group. Remaining members are senior representatives from primary industry or environment departments responsible for biosecurity matters in each state or territory. The jurisdictions may have up to two representatives. The Commonwealth is the lead jurisdiction for this task group and the department provides secretariat functions for this committee.