The 2025 National Biosecurity Response Team (NBRT) Professional Development (PD) Week, held from 12–16 May at the Novotel Sydney Olympic Park, marked the first face-to-face gathering for the 2025–28 NBRT cohort.
The NBRT program provides participating members with professional development opportunities across a range of biosecurity response functions and roles.
The week was emceed by Jackie Poyser (Three60 Consulting) and coordinated by project managers Animal Health Australia (AHA) with support from Plant Health Australia (PHA), who brought together 70 members from all nine jurisdictions, along with 12 alumni members and representatives from industry and the programs advisory group.
Facilitated by Dave Owens (Risk-e-Business) and Sarah Britton (One Biosecurity), a key focus for the event was building leadership capability in biosecurity emergency response. This was reflected in a program brimming with a rich mix of presentations, panel discussions, practical activities, and networking events.
Highlights included:
- Executive and alumni panel discussions on contemporary leadership issues.
- Alumni presentations on H5N1 preparedness, cross-agency surge capacity, and leadership lessons.
- Industry insights on the role of industry liaisons from the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council and a producer’s perspective on emergency responses.
- Team-building exercises, scenario-based problem-solving, and a tour of the NSW RFS.
Narelle Jones, AHA Training Manager, said PD Week strongly aligned with the NBRT’s 2024–28 strategic priorities and laid the foundation for future development activities.
‘PD Week is all about giving participants a safe space to explore the roles, responsibilities and considerations required to manage a biosecurity emergency response. So, it was fantastic to see such a high level of engagement and passion from the group. We know effective biosecurity responses depend on having the right people in place at the right time.
We look forward to continuing to support the cohort throughout its tenure as it continues to learn, develop and collaborate. It’s just another way we can ensure the nation’s biosecurity preparedness and response arrangements also keep evolving, innovating and improving.’
A full PD Week report is expected to be released in June 2025.