The dust has barely settled on the 2025 federal election and the returning government has already reaffirmed its commitment to delivering a national food security strategy. That’s a welcome and long-overdue step forward. But unless …
Articles by: "Andrew Henderson"
Australia’s agriculture sector and food system have prospered under a global rules-based system influenced by Western liberal values. But the assumptions, policy approaches and economic frameworks that have traditionally supported Australia’s food security are no …
Australia’s food security, commonly assumed safe thanks to our being a net food exporter, is increasingly vulnerable in a world marked by geopolitical and environmental instability. Our reliance on critical imports in food production and …
This week is Australia’s inaugural National Biosecurity Week (NBW). The event serves as a vital reminder of the importance of safeguarding our nation’s unique ecosystems and agricultural industries from harmful pests and diseases, underscoring our …
A nation that can’t feed itself can’t defend itself. Yet policymakers fail to grasp that food security doesn’t just happen. Food should be recognised for what it is: a fundamental input to Australia’s defence capability …
Australia’s food security should not be taken for granted. The Covid-19 pandemic shows what can go wrong with it during seismic strategic challenges. January’s empty supermarket shelves across Darwin, caused by flooding, illustrate the precarious …
Resilience, the economy and national security are a live discussion across Australia. People can feel change in their bones, from the climate to mortgage repayments—even Australia’s place in the world. These discussions are happening on …
In January, the World Economic Forum released its Global Risks Report 2023. For almost two decades this report has been the pre-eminent source of global risk data—the insights it provides are only becoming more valuable …
In 1990, British psychologist James T. Reason developed his ‘cumulative act effect’ theory (also known as the ‘Swiss cheese model’) in which he argued that most accidents can be traced to one or more of …
In 2017, an independent review of the capacity of Australia’s biosecurity system classified it as an essential national asset. The report stated that the system is built on shared responsibility—that is, the cooperation, investment and …
One of Australia’s greatest strategic advantages is our ability to produce and export more than $80 billion worth of food and fibre annually. Our agricultural industries feed three times our population. Exports represent 70% of …