Dr Rosa Crnov commenced as the Australian Chief Plant Protection Officer (ACPPO) in May 2026.
Prior to commencing as the Australian Chief Plant Protection Officer, Dr Rosa Crnov was Victoria’s Chief Plant Health Officer, where she led the delivery of the state’s plant biosecurity program, with a focus on preparedness, surveillance and response to plant pests and diseases. She has also held a number of other senior public sector roles supporting plant health emergency responses, science and technical capability, and policy development.
Dr Crnov holds a PhD from the Australian National University and has experience in plant health research and industry extension, including work at the University of California, Davis.
As the Australian Chief Plant Protection Officer, Dr Rosa Crnov provides strategic leadership and engagement on matters relating to the protection of Australia’s plant health. This:
- improves plant biosecurity outcomes for Australia
- helps meet relevant national and international plant biosecurity obligations
- helps minimise the impacts of current and emerging biosecurity risks to Australia’s agricultural production and trade, natural environment, Indigenous and cultural heritage, and associated amenities.
Role and activities
The Australian Chief Plant Protection Officer represents the Australian Government on plant health issues of national and international interest. The role leads national plant health policy and provides high-level advice to senior executives and government. The ACPPO works closely with the Australian Chief Environmental Biosecurity Officer.
The ACPPO works on activities that maintain our plant health status, including preparedness and response to plant health issues such as incursions of emergency plant pests. This involves close collaborations with state and territory governments, plant industries and Plant Health Australia, the not-for-profit national coordinator of the government-industry partnership for plant biosecurity in Australia.
The ACPPO (or their delegate) represents the Australian Government in national arrangements for plant health including:
- Plant Health Committee (PHC)
- Consultative Committee on Emergency Plant Pests (CCEPP) - Chair
- Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed (EPPRD)
- Plant Health Australia (PHA) - member meetings
- Plant Biosecurity Research Initiative (PBRI)
The ACPPO (or their delegate) also represents Australia in international plant health engagement including:
- International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) as Australia’s official contact point
- Commission of Phytosanitary Measures under the IPPC
- Asia and Pacific Plant Protection Commission
- Pacific Plant Protection Organisation
- Plant Health Quadrilaterals +
- International Day of Plant Health activities.
Strategic priorities
Priorities for the ACPPO include to:
- Strengthen preparedness capability of national plant health systems
- Deliver advancements in plant health surveillance, detection, identification and control
- Build, maintain and advance the national and departmental plant biosecurity capability and capacity
- Support response, recovery and resilience efforts in the plant biosecurity space
- Support, influence and engage in relevant regional and international policy discussions and standard setting, representing Australia’s interests
- Build, strengthen and influence key partnerships and stakeholder relationships to improve plant biosecurity outcomes
- Raise awareness and engage with key stakeholders on plant health matters to improve understanding of shared biosecurity responsibility and facilitate collaboration among stakeholders.