IN AUSTRALIA A timeline of plant biosecurity events pre 1900s.

Pre 1900s

William Farrer joins the New For over 60,000 years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people undertook many agricultural and land management South Wales Department of practices, e.g. fire, while maintaining soil fertility. It is Agriculture with an aim to estimated they used around 5,000 species of food, including South Australia legislates the Vines Protection produce wheat varieties that will tubers such as yams, grain such as native millet, macadamia be rust-resistant, have a higher nuts, fruits and berries. In order to manage pests, they utilised Act 1874 and bans movement of vine cuttings protein content and better milling techniques such as the burning of leaves to repel insects and and rooted vines allowing them to remain free Vineyards in Geelong, fire to maintain species diversity in the landscape of the sap-sucking insects known as phylloxera Victoria are uprooted to and baking quality 1874 manage the outbreak of 1898 phylloxera Stem rust, a devastating wheat , 1882 forces farmers to grow wheat inland 1840 where it is drier and hotter 1860

1788 1845 1877 1884 1890 The first wheat is The first shipments of Phylloxera spreads Colonial governments sown in Australia Following the first reported north to New South Australian grown wheat are sighting of the insect in 1875, establish a series of The First Fleet Wales after it is exported to England phylloxera is positively annual national brings orange, detected in Camden identified in Australia in conferences to address lime and lemon 1839 Geelong, Victoria after how best to fight wheat seeds to New infested grapevine planting stem rust South Wales Prickly pear is introduced material is imported from into Australia for use as a Europe 1889 natural agricultural fence A severe rust epidemic costs the 1886 wheat industry £2-3 From 1886 to 1929, rabbit barrier million in lost 1859 and check fences are erected in production 13 European wild rabbits are released . The total length of onto an estate in Victoria so they can be government, board and private hunted for sport. Rabbits go on to cause fences constructed was 47,404 km millions of dollars of crop damage PLANT A timeline of plant biosecurity events during 1900s-1920s.

1900s-1920s

1903 Distribution of William Farrer's 1912 Federation wheat begins. It is a 1906 Citrus canker is recorded for the first rust-resistant, high-yielding, State Premiers agree to hand over time in the strong straw plant administration of to the Citrus canker is eradicated from the Commonwealth. This change is Northern Territory included in Australia's Constitution, 1922 allowing each state to manage domestic trade, and the Commonwealth to manage the international border

1910 Phylloxera spreads further 1917 1901-1907 north to Queensland First recording of skeleton A rabbit proof fence is built. It extends weed. It subsequently 3,256 km north to south across Western 1909 spreads throughout the Australia The Quarantine Act 1908 south-eastern Australian comes into force wheat belt, dramatically reducing yields and The Federal Quarantine increasing production costs Service is established 1920 1926 Prickly pear covers 24 million Cactoblastis moth is ha of land in Queensland and released as a biological control 1915 agent for prickly 1908 An Australian Wheat Board is created under the War pear The Quarantine Act 1908 receives royal assent. Precautions Act 1914 to administer a wheat pooling The Act provided a national approach to system, which is designed to assist wheat growers and quarantine ensure appropriate management of food during World

The Commonwealth Quarantine Service comes War I. It comprises the Prime Minister and a minister into operation and takes over quarantine from each wheat growing state stations in every Australian state PLANT BIOSECURITY IN AUSTRALIA A timeline of plant biosecurity events during 1930s-1960s.

1930s-1960s The International Plant Protection Australia leads the development of quarantine procedures for cargo 1935 Convention is established. Australia is a part of it containers, which are distributed Australia introduces a internationally consolidated set of plant 1952 1968 quarantine regulations, made under the Quarantine Act 1908 The Plant Quarantine Research Station is established within Yarralumla nursery, Australian Capital Territory. It is later moved to Weston Creek, Australian Capital Territory 1965

1950

The myxoma is 1967 released to introduce CSIRO commences imports myxomatosis disease of of 55 species of dung beetles 1933 rabbits for release in Australia. Their Prickly pear numbers introduction has had a dramatically reduce positive impact on following the release of 1956 sustainable agriculture Cactoblastis moth in The Asia and Pacific Plant 1926 Protection Commission is Last record of phylloxera in established. Australia is a Queensland in suburban member 1969

1937 The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (now known as the CSIRO) uses The Quarantine Facility for wheat The first commercial crops of canola are grown in Wardang Island, South Australia to conduct the variety importations is established at Australia. Farmers were seeking alternative crops first field trials of the myxoma virus that causes Tamworth, New South Wales to reduce their dependence on cereals. However, myxomatosis disease in rabbits blackleg, a fungal disease, quickly became a serious problem for canola farmers PLANT BIOSECURITY IN AUSTRALIA A timeline of plant biosecurity events during 1970s-1980s.

1970s-1980s The Northern Australian Quarantine Strategy (NAQS) is established by AQIS to monitor the presence of target pests and not present The rust fungus, Puccinia The Standing Committee on in Australia but found in countries only several kilometres north of chondrillina, is introduced as a Agriculture establishes the first Australia, including exotic fruit flies, Chromolaena and black Sigatoka formal arrangements between biological control agent for 1989 skeleton weed Commonwealth and States for 1971 dealing with exotic pest incursions The review, Australian Quarantine 1976 Requirements for the Future, by New blackleg resistant varieties of canola are released Professor David Lindsay is released allowing farmers to grow high yields of canola 1988 1978-1987

1989 1980 Moko, a serious bacterial 1975 Quarantine policy and disease of bananas, is A northern surveillance detected in Cairns on 1978 procedures are developed program, primarily for exotic for the importation of tissue heliconia plants imported 1970 Computers are used for fruit flies, is established culture planting material from . It has since Victoria sets up the first the first time by plant through cooperation between been eradicated canola breeding program, quarantine , Northern Giant African snail, one of with one of the initial Potato cyst nematode is Territory, Queensland and the the most destructive pests to objectives being the eradicated from Western Commonwealth fruit, vegetables and native development of blackleg forests, is eradicated from Australia 1979 resistant varieties Gordonvale in far north 1977 The first Plant Queensland The giant African snail is Quarantine Officer 1986 detected in Gordonvale, is appointed to The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Queensland Thursday Island, Service (AQIS) is established to be responsible Queensland 1982 for animal, pest and plant quarantine, as well 1973 The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research as Western Australia and (ACIAR) is established. ACIAR organises and funds research by Potato cyst nematode is first detected in New South Wales Australian and overseas researchers in developing countries in Western Australia establish canola breeding the Indo-Pacific region on , cropping, horticulture, programs fisheries, forestry, land, water and climate issues PLANT BIOSECURITY IN AUSTRALIA A timeline of plant biosecurity events during 1990s.

1996 1990s Rabbits are estimated to cost at least $600 X-ray technology is trialled for 1998 screening of international million annually in lost agricultural production ACIAR funds projects evaluating the resistance of different banana cultivars to Panama passenger baggage at Cairns Australia Quarantine - a shared The public awareness Disease Tropical Race 4 (TR4). Disease-tolerant cultivars that had allowed banana Airport responsibility (the Nairn Report) is campaign, Quarantine Matters!, cultivation to continue in are introduced as a stop-gap measure, enabling established to review and make is launched to educate the Market access to the USA for Indonesian farmers to continue some production. Despite researchers' best efforts, TR4 recommendations on Australia's animal Australian community and Australian citrus from the Fruit Fly continued to spread throughout Asia. However, this research would later inform the and plant quarantine policies and international travellers about Pest Free Areas of the Riverina and containment of TR4 in Australia programs quarantine Sunraysia is gained. It is supported by Chromolaena is detected in far north Queensland. A the Queensland Fruit Fly Code of The Torres Strait Fruit Fly Technical Advisory Citrus canker is detected in the Black Sigatoka is detected at long term, nationally funded eradication campaign is Practice Panel (TAP) is established, including Northern Territory. All affected in progress for this invasive agricultural and representatives of NAQS, Queensland Bamaga, Queensland by NAQS trees are destroyed environmental weed of the tropics and sub-tropics An outbreak of black Sigatoka, a government and external specialists and then eradicated by the 1991 disease of bananas, is detected and 1994 then eradicated in Weipa, Queensland

1995 Agriculture Ministers 1997 The Government announces its response to the (Commonwealth and State) Nairn Report and provides increased funding for agree to transfer the delivery Australia the implementation of key quarantine of operational quarantine 1993 becomes a recommendations Oriental fruit fly (formerly called Asian services from the States to member of the The Office of the Chief Plant Protection Officer is 1991 papaya fruit fly) is first detected on direct Commonwealth control World Trade established Potato cyst islands in the Torres Strait. It is a Organization The Phylloxera and Grape nematode is under particularly destructive pest of a wide Panama disease Tropical Race 4 (TR4) is detected Industry Act 1995 comes into official control in range of fruits for the first time in the Northern Territory Oriental fruit effect in South Australia Victoria fly is detected Fire blight is detected and then eradicated from Citrus canker is declared in Cairns, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne 1992 eradicated in the Northern 1994 Queensland Canola exports expand, with Territory exports from each of the four The Pacific Plant Protection producing states Organisation is established. The rabbit virus, calicivirus, escapes from Wardang Island, Australia is a founding Queensland, following trials. It causes widespread 1999 AQIS's first detector dog member mortality among the mainland wild rabbit population program is trialled to assist

with passenger quarantine Oriental fruit fly is eradicated The first risk analyses using the Nairn surveillance at Brisbane from Cairns, Queensland after Report's import risk analysis process Airport AQIS approves imports in excess of 500,000 tonnes of initially being detected in are completed (Japanese apples, feed grain from the USA, Canada and Finland to meet 1995. Eradication cost AUD35 Korean pears and Chinese Ya pears) shortfalls arising from drought conditions in Australia million PLANT BIOSECURITY IN AUSTRALIA A timeline of plant biosecurity events during 2000-2010.

2006 2008 2000-2010 The Centenary of the signing of the Quarantine Act 1908 AQIS is involved in clearing The EPPRD cost sharing arrangements are used for the first time thousands of athletes and The sugarcane smut A national cost-shared response is established to eradicate for the eradication of khapra beetle from a house in Perth officials, as well as team outbreak in Queensland the red imported fire ant following a detection in Brisbane. following the detection in household effects, including a wedding equipment, cultural event uses the EPPRD for the Eradication efforts continue today dress display materials and food first time. It is not The National Threat Abatement Plan for Phytophthora items for the Melbourne technically feasible to Asian honey bee is detected in Cairns, Queensland. Eradication is cinnamomi, a soil-borne water mould that causes root rot Commonwealth Games eradicate and no national attempted but the bees cannot be eradicated from the area and dieback, is released. It was first detected in the 1960s, cost sharing program is following its earlier introduction The first National Plant Biosecurity Status Report is published by 2004 undertaken Citrus canker is detected in Plant Australia. The report assists in monitoring Black Sigatoka is detected in Queensland's largest several commercial citrus The Australian Centre of continuous improvement in the plant biosecurity system commercial banana growing area, Tully orchards in Emerald, Queensland Excellence for Risk Analysis 2001 and an eradication program (ACERA) is founded The draft National Fruit Fly Strategy is released by the Minister is initiated for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

NAQS celebrates 21 years 2010 of continuous service in northern Australia 2004 2009 The National Plant Biosecurity Strategy is ACIAR and Queensland Australia is declared published by Plant Health Department of Agriculture and free of citrus canker 2000 Australia Forestry team up with Papua New Export industry reform Co-regulation between AQIS and The National Fruit Fly Guinea's (PNG) National 2005 commences. Industry the horticultural industry is Strategy Implementation Agricultural Research Institute and government work introduced Phylloxera is detected in the Yarra and the International Potato Action Plan is released Valley, Victoria together to develop an Centre in Peru to develop improved inspection Myrtle rust is detected in Plant Health Australia is The EPPRD comes into effect diagnostic tests for plant scheme New South Wales and established in sweet potato in the remote Black Sigatoka is eradicated from 2007 spreads quickly throughout highlands of PNG Tully, Queensland. This was the first Australia. It is declared Drafting of the Emergency Plant Biosecurity Australia is successful eradication of this disease established in Australia, Pest Response Deed (EPPRD) established in a commercial cropping area in the excluding Western Australia commences world Western Australia declares

Australia hosts the IPPC drafting area freedom from potato committee for ISPM 14: Systems cyst nematode approach for pest risk Chestnut blight is detected in Eurobin and is considered management under official control, with the Victorian government and the chestnut industry working together to eradicate it PLANT BIOSECURITY IN AUSTRALIA A timeline of plant biosecurity events during 2011-2020.

The United Nations General Assembly 2013 2018 adopts a resolution declaring 2020 as the 2011-2020 Banana freckle is detected in the Northern Territory International Year of Plant Health The Centre of Excellence for Biosecurity Risk Analysis (formerly ACERA) 2020 Citrus canker is detected in Darwin, is established through an agreement between the Australian The National Priority List of Northern Territory government, New Zealand government and the University of Exotic Environmental Pests, The plant export Authorised Officer (AO) Melbourne A 3D X-ray is installed at Melbourne Weeds and Diseases is Information and Application Kit is Airport allowing for the increased established The Australia-Africa Biosecurity Partnership is 2016 released. The first AOs are appointed detection of biosecurity risk items conceived and funded by ACIAR to build African The commences shortly after to perform plant export Agriculture and environment biosecurity capacity. It ran from 2014 to 2017 Australia's first Chief Environmental functions on behalf of the federal The position of the Inspector-General functions are merged to create Emergency response measures are introduced Biosecurity Officer is appointed government of Biosecurity is formally established the Department of Agriculture, to manage brown marmorated stink bug with the implementation of the BMSB is detected in imported electrical Water and the Environment in 2011 (BMSB) and are reviewed annually to manage Biosecurity Act 2015 goods and in a trap at separate locations an effort to drive greater subsequent BMSB seasons in Western Australia. It is successfully collaboration on important Emergency measures for Xylella are eradicated policy challenges 2014 introduced

2015 2019 2020 The Northern The International Year of Plant PEQ operations are consolidated and all imported 2017 Territory is declared Health Australia hosts the IPPC drafting animals and plants now complete their PEQ at the free of banana freckle A government and industry committee for the proposed new facility in Mickleham, Victoria Panama TR4 Program 2012 international standard on the A single BMSB is Under the EPPRD, the National Management Management Board is The Intergovernmental Agreement on Biosecurity (IGAB) international movement of grain detected in a Group agrees to the seasonal eradication of fruit established to jointly fund, comes into effect. It is an agreement between the PIC@PEQ (Plant Innovation Centre surveillance trap in flies from the Torres Strait deliver and govern the Panama Western Australia. Commonwealth and States, with the exception of at the national PEQ facility) is TR4 Program until 2023 The National Fruit Fly Council is formed to work launched BMSB is eradicated Phylloxera is still contained to with government, growers and community groups The National Environmental Biosecurity Response Funding of $411.4 million over 10 only a few areas in Victoria and across all states and territories to control fruit fly establishes in Australia Agreement (NEBRA) is signed by the Commonwealth and years for the National Red Imported New South Wales nationally and it is determined that eradication States Fire Ant Eradication Program is is not technically feasible The Northern Territory The Senate Environment and Communications agreed to by the Agricultural The Cooperative Research Centre for National Plant government lifts citrus canker References Committee releases its report on the Ministers' Forum Biosecurity and the Plant Biosecurity Cooperative Khapra beetle emergency restrictions. The national adequacy of arrangements to prevent the entry Research Centre commence bringing together 27 Priorities for Australia's biosecurity measures are introduced response program aims to and establishment of invasive species likely to following increased organisations, including industry, national and system report is released to the prove freedom from citrus harm Australia's detections international universities, and state, territory and federal Agriculture Ministers' Forum canker governments, to collaborate on plant biosecurity research Panama TR4 is detected on a commercial banana The 'Plate it. Don't plant it.' campaign is The international symposium farm in the Tully Valley, Queensland launched to educate the public on the on limiting the spread of biosecurity risks of planting products contaminating pests is held in that are meant for eating Sydney, New South Wales