The National Bee Pest Surveillance Program was established in 2012 and is coordinated by Plant Health Australia (PHA), with surveillance activities carried out at high-risk ports by participating jurisdictions.

In 2024 and 2025, PHA has been consulting with stakeholders to shape the future of the Program beyond December 2025. In 2024, a series of structured interviews were conducted with key industry and government stakeholders to determine whether the Program continues to meet stakeholder needs and how to fund it sustainably into the future.

Building on this consultation, in April 2025 PHA surveyed key horticultural industry stakeholders about the value and importance of the Program. The survey was followed by three identical workshops held in May 2025, where the survey findings were discussed and key questions were explored. The workshops focused on the goals of a future Program, gauged stakeholder understanding, and identified communication needs. Participants also discussed key requirements for sustainably funding future surveillance.

Overall, there was consensus that the Program should continue to focus on exotic bee pest surveillance and play a critical role in building capacity within the biosecurity system.

A draft report on the survey and workshops has been developed and will be circulated shortly for stakeholder review. This report will help inform the future direction of the National Bee Pest Surveillance Program.

For more information about the Program, contact the Bee Biosecurity Team at beebiosecurity@phau.com.au.