National response arrangements
State and territory governments have responsibility for the management of responses to pest and disease outbreaks within their jurisdiction.
Two formal agreements are in place to manage emergency pest and disease incursions on a national scale – the Emergency Animal Disease Response Agreement (EADRA) and the Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed (EPPRD). These legally binding agreements set out cost sharing and other responsibilities of the Commonwealth, state and territory governments and relevant industry parties in an emergency response.
A draft National Environmental Biosecurity Response Agreement (NEBRA), which is nearing finalisation, builds on these agreements and applies to biosecurity incidents that primarily impact the environment and/or social amenity where a national response is for the public good.
Nationally coordinated emergency responses are overseen by a National Management Group (NMG). The NMG includes the chief executive officers of the Commonwealth and state/territory departments of agriculture and primary industries, and peak industry bodies as applicable, with representatives of Plant Health Australia or Animal Health Australia as observers.
Underpinning these arrangements are nationally agreed, sector specific, response arrangements that set out the various strategies that will be followed by all parties to an emergency response. These include: