A picture of oil palm in Malaysia may seem a strange way to start notes on some CRC for Plant Biosecurity happenings but, read on.

Our CRC has consistently promoted the concept 'the more biosecurity challenges that can be handled pre-border, the greater the advantage to Australia'.  As a result, for two weeks in June we will be combining forces with The Crawford Fund and CABI to offer a Master Class in Plant Biosecurity which will be held in Kuala Lumpur.

Master Classes are a highly successful feature of Crawford's contribution to work in the developing world and, in this case, will bring together biosecurity practitioners and 'influencers' from the Association of South East Asian Nations and neighbouring countries.

By and large, while crop protection is well understood by this constituency the translation of protection to plant biosecurity should benefit to exposure to the key topics covered by the CRCNPB.

CRC presenters on preparedness and prevention; diagnostics; surveillance; risk and impact management and post harvest integrity will work with personnel from the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industries, Malaysia, and CABI.  Master Classes are interactive and contributions from the participants will be vital to success.

Australia has already been involved in biosecurity activities in South East Asia and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has been of considerable assistance in formulating our plans.

The High Commissioner to Malaysia, Her Excellency Ms Penny Williams, has agreed to take part in a high profile opening ceremony. The High Commission is acutely aware of the importance of plant biosecurity to trade. This will be a strong theme in the Master Class and one of our objectives will be to establish the basis of an on-going network to promote the interests of biosecurity in what is Australia's 'front line' in combating biosecurity threats.

It's a very long way from Malaysia to Svalbard, the archipelago to the north of Norway which, with the inauguration of the Global Seed Vault in February, has received unprecedented publicity.

Australia was an early and very strong supporter of the Global Crop Diversity Trust under whose auspices the Seed Vault will operate. I was delighted to, be nominated as a member of the Executive Board of the Trust and it is appropriate that, while an independent Board member, my affiliation is shown as Chairman of the CRCNPB.

In a very real sense, there is no more pressing issue than the conservation of crop genetic diversity as an insurance against a range of threats - of which emergency plant pests and disease form a part.

So, from tropical Malaysia to frozen Svalbard - and at many places in between - the CRCNPB is contributing to international efforts to promote the cause of plant biosecurity. From the Chairman's point of view, it's a privilege to be part of this (and all the rest of) our activities.