Overview
The department delivered Exercise Paratus – a multiyear exercise program. It aimed to enhance Australia’s capability to respond to current and emerging biosecurity threats.
The objectives of the exercise were to:
- practice our emergency management arrangements to enhance internal capability to respond to national biosecurity emergencies
- review jurisdictional requirements for support during an escalating biosecurity emergency
- explore the how the Australian Government can work together during a biosecurity emergency of national significance
- examine how the Australian Government can provide support during a national biosecurity emergency.
- consider how emergency legislative powers, including the Biosecurity Act 2015, can be used and what triggers their use.
Project Lead: Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Project Contact: animaplan@aff.gov.au
Project Status: Complete
Project date: December 2021 to June 2024
Objective alignment:
- 1 – Improve Australia’s preparedness and ability to respond to emergency animal diseases.
Activity alignment:
- 1.1 – Continue to implement recommendations from emergency responses including EAD incursions, COVID-19, previous EAD simulation exercises and recent natural disasters.
Project updates
November 2024
The Exercise Paratus program series concluded in June 2024. We will continue to address findings from the program series and other exercises. The department has also implemented an all-hazards emergency management capability development program to ensure continual improvement.
May 2024
Consideration was given to lessons derived from the Exercise Paratus mid-point review. Future emergency management capability needs to be addressed in our ongoing all-hazards emergency management capability development program.
November 2023
An exercise activity was delivered in June 2023. It used a foot-and-mouth disease scenario to validate our response protocols and the Crisis Communications Response Guide (‘playbook’). The playbook was developed as a recommendation of the Joint Interagency Taskforce: Exotic Animal Disease Preparedness.
A midpoint review was undertaken to assess outcomes of Exercise Paratus activities delivered to date to inform future elements of the program. It identified a number of lessons across five key areas:
- policy, processes and capability
- national coordination, leadership and decision-making
- operating supports (systems/infrastructure)
- communication and situational awareness
- exercise administration and delivery.
See more
Read the article: Simulation program: Exercise Paratus in Australia (woah.org)