Each year, the NBRT Advisory Group convenes to discuss and plan the NBRT professional development program (PDP) for the coming 12 months. Activities as part of the PDP can include accredited and non-accredited workshops (e.g. delivery of BERTA materials and Deed awareness, respectively), exercises (functional and discussion-based), webinars and Third Party training.
This section contains logistical details, resources and outputs from these activities, such as the joining instructions, photos and video footages, presentation materials, pre-activity tasks and outputs. For upcoming activities make sure you read through the relevant resources carefully as they’ll contain information on how to register and what you need to do in preparation (e.g. submitting travel request forms).
The workshop aimed to upskill the Mentor cohort with the knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to facilitate the transfer of specialised knowledge and skills from experienced NBRT members to their mentees, ensuring a transition of biosecurity expertise.
Find the Mentor Workshop photo gallery here.
This comprehensive member workshop delved into the intricacies of effective communication and its pivotal role in determining the success or failure of a response effort. The workshop explored the various challenges, opportunities, as well as the operational and reputational risks associated with communication.
Find the Limiting Crisis Through Good Communication Workshop resources, outputs and photo gallery here.
The Planning workshop was delivered across three (3) days and explored the Planning function in the context of biosecurity emergency responses: who they are, what they do, and how and why they do it. The workshop sought to form the foundations of a ‘toolkit’ for Planning personnel working in biosecurity emergency responses.
Find the Planning Workshop resources here.
Contact NBRT@animalhealthaustralia.com.au for access to these recordings.
The National Awareness Workshop was delivered across two separate series; Intro to AIIMS/BIMS and National Biosecurity Emergency Response Arrangements held virtually. The workshop’s aim was to broadly increase NBRT members’ understanding of national frameworks and arrangements relevant to biosecurity emergencies.
The Functional Awareness Workshop series was delivered virtually over five sessions, each focussing on a functional area of the IMT. The workshop aimed to increase members’ appreciation for functions other than their own by/through:
Click on the links below to view the workshop recording.
Exercise Network was centered around the implementation of virtual control centres in the initial stages of a biosecurity emergency response. Historically, control centres have been physical facilities wherein response personnel are co-located. However, to accommodate the changes to the response environment imposed by the COVID-19 response (e.g., social distancing; mass movement to remote work arrangements; restricted travel), jurisdictions have recently adopted the use of virtual control centres whereby response staff can collaborate and support the response online.
Find the Exercise Network resources, outputs and photo gallery here.
The NBRT mentors workshop (II) was delivered across four (4) virtual sessions and was a continuation of the first mentor workshop in 2018 where participants had explored the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI), key stages of and techniques for mentoring in a biosecurity emergency response context, and the development of an NBRT mentor job card.
Find the Mentors Workshop resources, outputs and photo gallery here.
As part of the professional development activities offered through the NBRT program, a non-accredited workshop was held in Brisbane 12-14 November 2019 for NBRT members from the Public Information (PI) cohort. This was based on the Public Information Biosecurity Emergency Response (PIBER) training material developed through Tocal College. In addition to delivering the PIBER structured sessions, a half-day session was facilitated with participants to discuss and agree on the role of the Public Information function in the early days of a biosecurity emergency response.
Find the Public Information Workshop resources, outputs and photo gallery here.
LOGBER is the face-to-face training and assessment component for the delivery of PUAOPE022A Manage logistics for a Level 2 incident unit of competency from the Certificate IV in Public Safety (Biosecurity Response Leadership).
Exercise Crown and Anchor was a hybrid exercise for the NBRT (comprising of elements from functional and discussion-based exercises) which explored how post-border biosecurity responses located in a Commonwealth place, with operations extending into the ACT and NSW, would be managed.
Find Exercise Crown and Anchor resources, outputs and photo gallery here.
As part of the professional development activities offered through the NBRT program, a non-accredited workshop was held in Canberra between the 23-25 October 2018 for NBRT mentors to better understand what it means to be a mentor within the Program and in the context of biosecurity emergency responses.
Find the Mentors Workshop resources, outputs and photo gallery here.
An OP2BER workshop under the BERTA program was delivered to provide jurisdictional biosecurity officers with an opportunity to achieve the Manage Operations in a Level 2 Incident unit of competency in the Certificate IV in Public Safety (Biosecurity Response Leadership). The unit of competency describes the skills and knowledge required to command resources to achieve resolution of a Level 2 biosecurity incident.
Find OP2BER Workshop resources, outputs and photo gallery here.
This NBRT workshop aimed at providing participants with an opportunity to develop their biosecurity emergency response capabilities within a Planning function. The workshop utilised the BERTA training and assessment materials. PLANBER (PUAOPE025A) forms part of the elective units of competency from the Certificate IV in Public Safety (Biosecurity Response Leadership) PUA42912 qualification.
Exercise Border Bridge was the largest simulated biosecurity response exercise in Australia in the past 10 years. More than 260 people from across Australia participated in the exercise, including representatives from government and industry. Exercise Border Bridge (the Exercise) was conducted from 5 to 9 March 2018. The aim of the Exercise was to advance Australia’s capabilities to respond to a nationally significant cross border biosecurity emergency and strengthen partnerships with biosecurity stakeholders.
Prior to the NBRT establishing in 2017 had been the Rapid Response Team (RRT) program. Similar to the NBRT Program, the RRT comprised of a cohort of jurisdictional response personnel to whom professional development, primarily exercises, were offered.
However, unlike the NBRT, the RRT had focussed on emergency animal disease (EAD) preparedness rather than cross-sectoral biosecurity preparedness. Additionally, the remit of the RRT program had been for larger jurisdictions providing EAD response support to the smaller jurisdictions.
Exercises delivered as part of the RRT program have been listed below.
This exercise was a discussion exercise based on a fictional outbreak of viral ganglioneuritis in abalone in Tasmania. The exercise was held in Launceston with the support of the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment and industry.
This exercise was a functional exercise based on a fictional outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in Western Australia. This was an extension of the same scenario used for Exercise Odysseus and Exercise Slapstick. The aim of the exercise was to assess the preparedness of the Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia’s preparedness to a major biosecurity incident.
This exercise was based on a fictional outbreak of FMD in Queensland, with the aim of practicing the application of FMD vaccination strategy, policy and procedures for a specific scenario in south east Queensland.
This exercise was a program of more than 40 activities conducted in 2014–15 by the Australian Government, state and territory governments, livestock and allied industries and AHA. The program assessed aspects of Australia’s preparedness to implement a national livestock standstill in response to an outbreak of FMD. The RRT participated in regional exercises held in Victoria, discussion exercises in Queensland, and in the Victorian state-level exercise in Melbourne.
This exercise was a professional development activity aimed at enhancing the RRT members’ knowledge and application of contemporary control/coordination centre functions, using a workshop format based on an FMD scenario.
This exercise simulated a response to an outbreak of clinical bluetongue disease in South Australia.