Graduate Diploma in Plant Biosecurity

(GRADUATE CERTIFICATE + 4 UNITS, 2 SEMESTERS FULL-TIME STUDY)

Graduate attributes for award:

Technical

• Knowledge and understanding of plant biosecurity at levels that are internationally recognised and at the highest level of industry requirement, specifically, the ability to:
  • identify emergency plant pests (EPPs) and associate them with likely import pathways and hosts;
  • implement surveillance, detection, triage diagnosis and reporting of EPPs;
  • evaluate existing plant biosecurity procedures and regulations;
  • effectively develop and implement plant biosecurity procedures and regulations if delegated to, and/or employed to do so by an appropriate regulatory body;
  • proficiently use appropriate technologies within a plant biosecurity context.

Generic

• Ability to analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from scientific and regulatory sources, and apply effective solutions to problems within changing contexts
• Acquisition of the capacity to learn and maintain commitment to continuous learning in order to maintain professional standards required for plant biosecurity
• Commitment to the highest standards of professional endeavour
• Capacity to communicate effectively and to work both independently and cooperatively
• An awareness of ethical, social and cultural contexts and their importance in the exercise of professional practice and responsibilities
• Numeracy and literacy skills of the highest order

Unit requirements:

Two units selected from 1, 2, or 3 and units 4 and 5 of the Graduate Certificate, plus the following:

6. Invasion Biology: Ecological foundations of biosecurity

• Entry and establishment (population biology, genetics and ecology)
• Population dynamics
• Spread: Dispersal and movement of plant pests; epidemiology of diseases
• The distribution of pests in space and time: sampling theory and methods for monitoring and surveillance
• Impact: Interacting populations and ‘predator-prey interactions'
• Climate-change modelling

Successful students will be able to:

1. apply ecological theory to explain the entry, establishment, spread and impact of populations, particularly non-indigenous organisms that threaten plant health;
2. evaluate the potential threats posed by non-indigenous organisms that attack or compete with plants;
3. design surveillance and monitoring programs for invertebrates, weeds and plant pathogens.

7. Risk Assessment: Social, Environmental, Economic and Mathematical

• Risk Models
• Cost/benefit analyses
• Multi-criteria analysis
• Risk analysis / modelling / management

Successful students will be able to:

1. define the various components of risk;
2. critically evaluate the risk associated with a range of plant pests;
3. create and critically analyse import risk analyses (quantitative risk assessments in the biosecurity context);
4. use appropriate models to quantify direct and indirect impacts of plant pests.

8. Community engagement and participation

• Communities as stakeholders: international, national, regional; government, industry, public
• Social aspects of biosecurity: public relations; communication; education; cultural aspects
• Risk perception
• Policy development/consultation among community members
• Ethical practice for biosecurity professionals

Successful students will be able to:

1. produce a code of ethics for the practice of biosecurity
2. define the various levels of stakeholder involvement in biosecurity
3. understand and explain the perspectives of various stakeholders
4. evaluate the capacity for community engagement for biosecurity
5. choose and use models of engagement appropriate for the community involved.

9. Policy Framework Obligations

• International Regulatory and Policy Framework I; The World Trade agreement (WTO) and the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC). The standards, guidelines and recommendations recognised under the World Trade Agreement (WTO) on the application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS agreement) with particular reference to plant health
• International Regulatory and Policy Framework II; the standards, guidelines and recommendations for the other SPS agreement components being for food safety - those established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), and for animals health and zoonoses - those developed under the auspices of the International Office of Epizootics (OIE).
• Regional; Regional Plant Protection Organisations, Quads, other formal government bodies such as the Pacific Plant Protection Organisation etc....
• National; national interactions and responsibilities with regards to biosecurity, legislation, coordinating bodies - formal and informal, Export Control Act
• Sub-national; State and local authority interaction and responsibilities with regards to biosecurity, legislation, coordinating bodies - formal and informal such as Plant Health Committee

Successful students will be able to:

1. demonstrate an awareness of the international regulatory framework that applies to biosecurity issues
2. evaluate proposed plans for import of specific plant products for compliance in the context of the appropriate regulations
3. create a proposal to meet the regulations for the export of specific plant products within the context of the appropriate state, national, and/or international requirements