Understanding general surveillance for biosecurity as a system

General surveillance in biosecurity has significant potentials in protecting Australia from incursions of exotic pests, diseases and weeds, and improving control of established ones. General surveillance is increasingly being used in different agricultural and environmental sectors. However, general surveillance is faced by several challenges, including fragmentation of activities and limited sharing of lessons learned between sectors. This review frames general surveillance in biosecurity as a system and offers insights into the structure of this system to describe the benefits and challenges that face it, in light of the interactions between its different components. The use of systems thinking and early and multi-directional open communication and information flow between the different actors or potential actors in any general surveillance initiative can help in optimising the outcomes from general surveillance as a valuable tool in biosecurity.