Tropical Diagnostics
Diagnostics underpins Australia’s tropical biosecurity surveillance activity.
The Modern Diagnostics initiative was implemented to strengthen Australia’s tropical biosecurity diagnostic capability through increasing connectivity between tropical biosecurity diagnosticians, enhancing diagnostic skills and tools across northern Australia, and improving tropical biosecurity infrastructure.
The Modern Diagnostic initiative delivers on government priorities to improve biosecurity surveillance outlined in the Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper and the Our North, Our Future: White Paper on Developing Northern Australia.
One of the initiatives of the Modern Diagnostics project was the establishment of a tropical plant biosecurity diagnostics network. The network exists within the National Plant Biosecurity Diagnostic Network and will facilitate technical collaboration and information sharing, whilst assisting in identifying priorities for tropical biosecurity training and diagnostic tool development.
The Modern Diagnostics project aimed to develop new targeted diagnostic tools and training to improve diagnostic capability for tropical biosecurity with approximately $250,000 per year for three years available for diagnostic tool development and $250,000 per year for three years (starting in 2016) available for diagnostic training.
Related resources:
Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper
Our North, Our Future: White Paper on Developing Northern Australia.
