Why this matters

Australia’s biosecurity system is under growing pressure. Invasive species alone cost the Australian economy up to $87 billion every year, and the risks — climate extremes, ecosystem degradation, increasing global movement — are accelerating faster than our capacity to respond.

Yet the research, workforce, and cross-sector collaboration needed to address these risks remain fragmented. Biosecurity knowledge is produced in silos, the pipeline of trained practitioners is not keeping pace with demand, and the agencies, industries, and communities bearing the burden of biosecurity risk rarely have structured ways to work together.

We’re working to anticipate threats before they escalate, connect people, agencies, and knowledge, and build the workforce Australia needs to respond to threats before they become crises.

The Australian Biosecurity Alliance is a research and engagement initiative based at Flinders University. We bring together researchers, practitioners, industry, and government to build a more connected and capable biosecurity system.

BuffelGrass_Cenchrus_ciliaris_Photo John Tann CC BY-SA 2.0

Our Vision

A biosecurity system where the research, knowledge, and expertise needed to protect Australia’s environment and economy are produced, translated, and acted on at the pace the threats demand, anchored by a coordinating hub that connects people, disciplines, and infrastructure across the system.

Approach

Our approach is built on four core pillars: research, partnerships, capacity building, and translation and impact. By integrating ecological modelling, genomics, restoration ecology, and economics with the knowledge of the people managing biosecurity risk every day, we connect disciplines and sectors that have too often worked in isolation.

Research

Predictive, climate-smart models that identify biosecurity risk before it escalates
Continental-scale ecological modelling, genomics, and restoration science in a single integrated framework
AI-assisted surveillance design and eradication optimisation

Partnerships & Stakeholder Engagement

Co-design with government and industry
Indigenous knowledge at the core
Partnerships spanning from policy and regulation through to primary production, land management, environmental markets, and on-ground practice

Capacity Building

A staged education pipeline from micro-credentials to postgraduate qualifications
Pathways designed for students, existing professionals, and practitioners already working in the field
Building the skilled biosecurity workforce Australia currently lacks

Translation & Impact

Practical tools, digital platforms, and field-ready evidence for agencies and industry
Embedding research into policy, investment, and on-ground practice
South Australia as the national proving ground, designed to scale across the country

Impact

Our research and engagement program is designed to change how Australia manages biosecurity risk, from reactive defence to proactive resilience. That means research that reaches the people making decisions, evidence that shows what prevention protects, and results that can be seen on the ground as well as in policy.

A safer, more prepared Australia

Predictive, national-scale risk intelligence integrating climate projections, land-use change, and biological movement data to enable earlier intervention and faster decision-making.

Earlier detection of risk and ecosystem vulnerability

Strengthening our ability to identify where landscapes are becoming vulnerable before problems escalate, guiding restoration and investment.

Restoration for resilience

Co-designing and testing restoration approaches that build ecosystem resilience and make landscapes less vulnerable to invasive species taking hold.

Better connection between evidence, policy, and action

Linking data, policy, and local knowledge into a coordinated system that helps governments, industry, and communities align priorities.

A skilled, future-ready biosecurity workforce

Clear education and training pathways for students, professionals, and practitioners building the capability Australia needs to sustain long-term resilience.

Team

The Australian Biosecurity Alliance brings together researchers across ecological modelling, genomics, restoration ecology, climate science, policy, and economics into a single transdisciplinary effort anchored at Flinders University.

Get involved

Biosecurity risk doesn’t stay within sector boundaries, and neither can the response. We’re building a network of partners across government, industry, research, and community, including sectors not traditionally seen as part of biosecurity, to shape and deliver this work together.

Government and agencies
Work with us to align research with policy priorities, test decision tools, and build the evidence base for investment in prevention.

Industry and peak bodies
Partner on research that addresses the risks your members face, and help shape the training and workforce pathways your sector needs.

Researchers
Collaborate across disciplines on funded research programs, joint bids, and shared data and infrastructure.

Education and training
Help define the biosecurity jobs of the future and co-design the micro-credentials, short courses, and postgraduate pathways that will prepare people for them.

Stay connected
Join our stakeholder network to hear about upcoming events, cross-sector gatherings, and opportunities to contribute.