Wagga will be home to Australia's premier biosecurity training and research facilities after an agreement between Charles Sturt University and the federal government

The signed agreement with the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE) means the university's Wagga campus will train and support over 300 biosecurity officers within its first year, with plans for the centre to begin operations on 1 July.

The Biosecurity Training Centre's (BTC) aim will be to strengthen Australia's biosecurity capabilities, with access to major recent investments in industry research like the university's Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub, AgriPark and the most recently launched Gulbali Institute.

While the DAWE will run the centre, CSU will design and deliver training, providing practical learning from its Equine Centre and Global Digital Farm, Australia's first fully automated mixed crop farm.

"The BTC will replace the previous decentralised training arrangements and ensure the most modern training arrangements are available to all biosecurity officers across Australia," said CSU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Renée Leon.

"Australia's biosecurity system relies on strong partnerships across government, industry, the community and with other countries to help manage pest and disease risks.

"People underpin our entire system and the BTC will offer greater professionalism, structure and rigour to ensure our regulatory teams have the best training program possible."

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The concerted effort to train Australian biosecurity officers will contribute to the federal government and the DAWE's ambition to become a $100 billion industry by 2030, building expertise in pest and disease preparedness, response and containment capabilities.

Biosecurity is one of the DAWE Ag2030 plan's seven themes for action, outlining it as necessary for the protection of key agricultural communities and jobs which are critical to market access and lower producer costs.

"Global trade disruption is driving an ever-changing pest and disease threat that we must be able to respond to," said DAWE Deputy Secretary of Biosecurity and Compliance Andrew Tongue.

"The centre will provide the department with opportunity to work with our partners to increase our capability to respond to these threats, and in time, make training available to industry and Australia's near-neighbours."

From November, biosecurity officers will be housed on the Wagga campus for the duration of their training, in two week blocks.

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