Building Australia’s biosecurity workforce

Australia’s biosecurity system depends on a skilled workforce capable of responding to complex and evolving threats to agriculture, the environment and communities. To address this need, Charles Sturt partnered with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry to establish the Biosecurity Training Centre, delivering structured education and professional development for biosecurity officers.

The Centre provides integrated training across regulatory, scientific, policy and operational practice.

In 2025, the Biosecurity Training Centre received the Australian Biosecurity Award for Education, recognising its contribution to national capability building. In 2024–25 alone, the Centre delivered more than 3,000 training days, supporting more than 3,000 department officers and international participants.By advancing workforce skills, professional capability and productivity in a nationally significant sector, this initiative supports skills development, productive employment and higher economic productivity through education-led workforce strengthening.