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  3. Pests, diseases and weeds
  4. Pest animals and weeds in Australia
  5. Environment and Invasives Committee

Sidebar first - Pests diseases weeds

  • Pest animals and weeds in Australia
    • Supporting Communities Manage Pest Animals and Weeds Program
    • Supporting Australia’s regions to manage established pest animals and weeds
    • Control tools and technologies for established pest animals and weeds competitive grants programme
    • Environment and Invasives Committee
    • Funding innovation to tackle pest animals and weeds
    • National Carp Control Plan

Environment and Invasives Committee

​​​​​On 14 February 2018, the cross-jurisdictional National Biosecurity Committee (NBC) established the Environment and Invasives Committee (EIC). The EIC replaced the Invasive Plants and Animals Committee (IPAC), whose responsibilities have now been taken on by the new EIC. This decision addresses, in part, recommendation 10 of the 2017 independent report, Priorities for Australia Biosecurity System PDF [3.09 MB, 188 pages]

[Expand all]

Objectives

The EIC is responsible for providing national policy leadership on the identification, prevention and management of invasive plant, vertebrate and invertebrate species that adversely impact the environment, economy and community. The EIC provides a forum for identifying and resolving national priorities for freshwater and terrestrial invasive species as well as other species where there is an environmental or community biosecurity impact, that are not within the scope of another NBC sub-committee.

It also provides national policy leadership on environmental biosecurity more broadly, including engaging with stakeholders and working with other sub-committees to provide the NBC with consistent and consolidated advice on environmental biosecurity issues.

The core objectives of the committee include:

  • delivering an integrated and effective national approach to the prevention, detection, identification, response and management of emerging and established invasive species that affect the environment, the economy and the community
  • supporting the development and implementation of a nationally consistent and effective approach to biological control programs, activities and associated governance, administrative and legislative processes (where relevant)
  • developing and implementing national strategies to:
    • ensure a clear governance structure for the management of relevant species of national importance within the national biosecurity system, and
    • prioritise research, development and extension in invasive species biosecurity.
  • supporting national communication and stakeholder engagement on invasive species, including leading engagement with environmental biosecurity stakeholders
  • assisting the efforts of the Commonwealth to meet Australia’s obligations under multilateral environmental agreements, being the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Sustainable Development Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals as they relate to environmental biosecurity, and
  • providing the NBC with advice on national invasive species policy issues and the National Environmental Biosecurity Response Agreement.

Governance

Terms of Reference

Further information about the EIC and its responsibilities is set out in the committees Terms of Reference DOCX [34 KB, 4 pages].

Membership

Membership is comprised of representatives from the Australian state and territory primary industry and environment departments.

A member of the NBC is appointed as Chair of the EIC and is rotated every 2 years.

Representatives from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Plant Health Australia, Animal Health Australia, Wildlife Health Australia, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, and the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions are observers on the committee.

EIC membership

Name Role/Jurisdiction
John Tracey Chair – New South Wales Department of Primary Industries
Josephine Laduzko Member – Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment
Ian Thompson Member – Chief Environmental Biosecurity Officer, Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment
Tim Sides Member – Australian Capital Territory Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate
Andrew Sanger Member – New South Wales Department of Primary Industries
Ben Russell Member – New South Wales Department of Planning, Industry and Environment
John Robertson Member – Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries
Alex Graham Member – Queensland Department of Environment and Science
John Virtue Member – South Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regions
Karl Hillyard Member – South Australian Department for Environment and Water
Michael Askey-Doran Member – Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment
Nigel Ainsworth Member – Victorian Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions
Victoria Aitken Member – Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
John Asher Member – Western Australian Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions
Glenn Edwards Member – Northern Territory Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Susanna Driessen Observer – Plant Health Australia
Samantha Allan Observer – Animal Health Australia
Rupert Woods Observer – Wildlife Health Australia
Andy Sheppard Observer - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
Tony Arthur A/g Observer - Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences
Andreas Glanznig Observer – Centre for Invasive Species Solutions

Secretariat support is provided by the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.

Sub-groups

The EIC is supported by five ongoing expert working or advisory groups that provide policy, technical and scientific advice on relevant matters:

  • Freshwater Vertebrates and Invertebrates Working Group
  • Weeds Working Group
  • Terrestrial Vertebrates Working Group
  • Terrestrial Invertebrates Working Group, and
  • Environmental Biosecurity Advisory Group.

The EIC will also form short term task-specific groups from time to time to provide advice and deliver key initiatives.

Key achievements

The EIC (and IPAC previously) is progressing work under the 2019 revised Intergovernmental Agreement on Biosecurity, as well as NBC priorities, by providing national policy leadership in the identification, prevention and management of invasive plants and animals, including through:

  • development and implementation of the Australian Pest Animals Strategy
  • development and implementation of the Australian Weeds Strategy
  • development and ongoing review of the Australian List of Threat Categories of Non-indigenous Vertebrates
  • development of the draft National Incursion Response Plan for Terrestrial Snakes PDF [1.15 MB, 80 pages]
  • development of the National Policy Guidelines for the Translocation of Live Aquatic Animals
  • development of a national priority list of exotic environmental pests and diseases
  • development of the National Environmental Biosecurity Snapshot
  • supporting implementation of the National Environment and Community Biosecurity Research Development and Extension Strategy
  • implementation of the National Wild Dog Action Plan PDF [2.0 MB, 70 pages]
  • advice to the NBC regarding the National Environmental Biosecurity Response Agreement and its review
  • advice to the NBC on considerations relating to the future release the National Carp Control Plan, and
  • support for multiple nominations for weed biological control targets.

Communiqués

Key issues considered by the IPAC and EIC are outlined in the meeting communiqués listed below.

  • EIC Communique – Meeting 6 – 2 and 3 September 2020
  • EIC Communique – Meeting 5 – 24 and 25 February 2020
  • EIC Communique – Meeting 4 – 31 July 2019
  • EIC Communique – Meeting 3 – 13 February 2019
  • EIC Communique – Meeting 2 – 14 August 2018
  • EIC Communique – Meeting 1 – 2 May 2018
  • IPAC Communique – Meeting 10 – 30 November 2017\
  • IPAC Communique – Meeting 9 – 7 September 2017
  • IPAC Communique – Meeting 8 – 23 March 2017
  • IPAC Communique – Meeting 7 – 15 November 2016
  • IPAC Communique – Meeting 6 – 1 August 2016
  • IPAC Communique – Meeting 5 – 18 March 2016
  • IPAC Communique – Meeting 4 – 26 November 2015

Note: IPAC did not release a communiqué for meetings 1, 2 and 3. A decision was made at IPAC 4 (November 2015) to publish communiqués from that point onwards.

 

If you have any questions about the EIC, please contact the secretariat at EIC.

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Last updated: 12 August 2021

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