The Plant Health Australia (PHA) Board met virtually on the 29 and 30 September for Board Meeting 104. The meeting was originally planned as a face-to-face meeting in Darwin, Northern Territory, but couldn’t go ahead due to COVID-19 travel restrictions across several parts of Australia.

Discussions on Day 1 covered PHA’s strategic projects and objectives including the endorsement 2022-27 Strategic Plan, continued development of the National Plant Biosecurity Strategy and renewal of PHA and Animal Health Australia’s (AHA) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Items of note included:

• The new 2022–2027 Strategic Plan will be released in November 2021
• Work is underway to finalise the National Plant Biosecurity Surveillance Strategy 2021-2031 and National Plant Biosecurity Preparedness Strategy 2021-2031
• An independent review of the National Fruit Fly Council operation and composition will be conducted by the end of 2021
• The Board supported approved the PHA/AHA MoU.

Day 2 featured a comprehensive review of financial reports and audits, risk mitigation plans and strategies and other internal policies.

PHA takes a proactive approach to risk management through all levels of the organisation and the Board is responsible for ensuring that risks and opportunities are identified on a timely basis and that PHA’s objectives and activities are aligned with these risks and opportunities as they are identified. Directors consider PHA’s risks at strategic and operational levels and critically review a risk management report at each Board and Finance and Audit Committee meeting which include analysis from the PHA management team of risk ratings, the reporting of risk mitigation actions and their effects.

The financial report for Plant Health Australia Limited for the year ended 30 June 2021 was authorised for issue in accordance with a resolution of the Directors on 29 September 2021.