Review of the Intergovernmental Agreement on Biosecurity

Review of the Intergovernmental Agreement on Biosecurity:
Submission from the ARDC

The ARDC welcomes the review of the Intergovernmental Agreement on Biosecurity (IGAB) and the opportunity to contribute comments. Since the signing of the IGAB in 2019, DAFF has successfully led the development of the National Biosecurity Strategy (NBS) (2022). Recently, it also completed the consultation on the draft National Biosecurity Strategy Action Plan. The NBS referenced the IGAB as one of the key documents within the Australian biosecurity system architecture. In this submission, we address two consultation questions and discuss relevant provisions from the NBS and the draft NBS Action Plan. We also offer comments on the implications of the Intergovernmental Agreement on Data Sharing between Commonwealth and
State and Territory Governments (2021).

How could the IGAB be futureproofed from pandemics such as COVID-19?

Neither the scope of the IGAB nor the scope of the NBS extends to human biosecurity. However, unlike our norms and demarcations, infectious diseases may not clearly delineate between the human and the non-human (e.g. COVID-19 and Japanese encephalitis). The interconnections between the health of humans, animals and the environment point to the importance of the One
Health approach. One Health is briefly discussed in the NBS.1

The tensions inherent in Australia’s existing biosecurity system become apparent when the IGAB is read with the Intergovernmental Agreement on Data Sharing between Commonwealth and
State and Territory Governments (IGADS). As its title suggests, the latter agreement foregrounds the importance of data sharing as illustrated by work undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The open access publication of scientific papers and other research outputs made possible the rapid development of diagnostic tests and vaccines. A local example is the publication of the
SARS-CoV-2 genome sequence by Professor Edward (Eddie) Holmes and colleague in early
January 2020.2 The publication of this particular viral sequence has been described as “one of the most important acts of data-sharing ever undertaken.”3 In recognition of his work, Professor
Holmes was named the 2020 New South Wales Scientist of the Year and awarded the Prime
Minister’s Prize for Science in 2021.4

There are critical differences in the position adopted in the IGADS and the IGAB. The former agreement states that signatories agree “to share data across jurisdictions as a default position, where it can be done securely, safely, lawfully and ethically.”5 It also stipulates that,

1
Commonwealth of Australia, National Biosecurity Strategy (2022) 27.
2
Anna Salleh, ‘Eddie Holmes wins Prime Minister’s Prize for Science for work on COVID-19 and viral revolution’, ABC Science, 2 November 2021,
; (02) 6125 6659.

17
NBS, 14.
18
NBS, 7.
19
NBS, 31.

4