The state government has opened the first stage of its new $97 million State Biosecurity Response Centre, aimed to increase the efficiency of Western Australia's biosecurity responses.
The state government has opened the first stage of its new $97 million State Biosecurity Response Centre, aimed to increase the efficiency of Western Australia's biosecurity responses.
Staff managing the polyphagous shot-hole borer and Queensland fruit fly infestations are slated to be the first teams to move into the pre-existing office and warehouse infrastructure on the four-hectare site in Canning Vale.
The second stage of the fit-for-purpose centre, scheduled to open late 2025, is currently under construction and would include specialised laboratory spaces.
Once fully operational, the State Biosecurity Response Centre would accomodate between 200 and 300 biosecurity staff from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, tasked with carrying out surveillance, investigations, diagnostics, and response activities.
Agriculture and Food Minister Jackie Jarvis said the facility would provide a functional workplace for staff to effectively manage pest and disease threats.
“As a priority, DPIRD's emergency response teams will be among the first to move across followed by other biosecurity functions,” Ms Jarvis said.
Deputy Director General Sustainability and Biosecurity Mia Carbon told Business News the new centre would replace the aging government site in South Perth, which was no longer fit-for-purpose.
“This facility is basically a new metro facility that's going to take all of those functions and allow them to continue to operate and provide us a much greater capacity to be able to run those biosecurity responses,” Ms Carbon said.
“The key thing is that ten years ago, we would run two or three small-scale biosecurity responses a year. Since then, that has increased.
“In 2023, for example, we ran ten biosecurity responses concurrently. In 2024, we've had thirteen biosecurity responses, with five of those still running concurrently at the moment.
“There's been a real step change in biosecurity, in terms of the level of threats and risks, so we now need a fit-for-purpose facility to operate those big responses out of.”
Ms Carbon said the department expected the number of biosecurity cases to continue to rise.
“Unfortunately, we do expect that number to keep growing, and that's for a number of reasons,” she said.
“Things like changing climate, increased trade and travel around the world, increased supply chain complexity, but also things like changing land and water use have meant that pests and diseases are moving around the globe much more than they ever have been before.
“We're seeing pests and diseases being able to establish in areas where we previously wouldn't have seen that happen because of the climate factors.”
Ms Carbon said several areas were explored for the proposed biosecurity centre, but a site in Canning Vale was ultimately chosen due to the size of the land and the pre-existing office and warehouse infrastructure.
“It also gives us plenty of space to put our modular laboratories and science facilities in, so that will include labs, cool rooms, glass houses and things like that,” Ms Carbon said.
“It's also really close to transport routes, which are very important for us getting samples in from the airport and also sending them back out.
“The office and warehouse are pre-existing on the site, so we'll be standing up staff in both of those areas in the coming weeks and months, and then the highly specialised technical facilities are expected to go on site by the end of next year.
“Those very specialised parts still need to be built.”
In conversation with Business News, Ms Carbon said the importance of efficient biosecurity functions was highly critical for Western Australia.
“I think people recognise quite well the importance of biosecurity for our industries, particularly our primary industries, for example our agricultural and fisheries industries,” Ms Carbon said.
“But increasingly, we're seeing pests and diseases that impact environment, that impact the health and wellbeing of people and communities and indeed, about our very way of life.
“I think the polyphagous shot-hole borer is a key example of that, where the primary impact is actually on our urban amenity trees and our canopy, so it shows how important that is for all Western Australians.”
More than 3,600 trees have been removed since the polyphagous shot-hole borer was first detected in WA three years ago.
Hyde Park, Kings Park, Lake Claremont and Perth Zoo have been identified as the sites most significantly affected, but the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development has named more than 80 areas as been affected.
The first stage of treatment at Hyde Park started on October 14, while removal of infested trees in Kings Park’s Mounts Bay Gardens began earlier this year.
