Overview

AusTrakka is Australia’s national pathogen genomics surveillance platform. It provides public health labs with a central, secure, and private online location to share, analyze and view aggregated national genomic data from Australia and New Zealand. AusTrakka facilitates consistent and standardised genomic sequence sharing, analysis and reporting across states and territories for:

1. Multi-jurisdictional outbreak investigations

2. National routine genomic surveillance of priority pathogens

Enabling National Genomics Data Sharing

Initiated to overcome barriers with data sharing, AusTrakka’s secure platform enables collaborative genomics surveillance across Australian jurisdictions. CDGN public health laboratories, are the primary users and upload genomic sequences and agreed epidemiological metadata to AusTrakka on a dedicated server for nationally aggregated genomics analysis and visualisation of sequences.

AusTrakka is underpinned by robust governance and policies to ensure secure data sharing within the platform and the retainment of data custodianship for jurisdictions.

Platform Functions & Architecture

The AusTrakka platform accepts sequence and epidemiological data from public health laboratories and performs several functions.

Outlined below is:

1. The platform architecture and functions

2. Team functions

3. Outputs of the AusTrakka system

Governance

AusTrakka's governance ensures proper oversight and management of genomic data sharing across Australian jurisdictions while maintaining data security and appropriate custodianship access controls.

The AusTrakka Governance Protocol for Pathogen Genomics Surveillance describes the agreement for sharing approved genomic and epidemiological data to AusTrakka. It is built on the principles of collaboration, evidence-based best practice, and adaptability to new advances in technology and improvements in protocols.

The protocol outlines AusTrakka’s principles for:

• Data custodianship

• Data sharing

• Minimum data requirements

• National surveillance policies

• Outbreak investigation policies

The protocol was nationally endorsed by the Australian Health Protection Committee (AHPC) in November 2025 and establishes consistent national arrangements for sharing, analysing and reporting pathogen genomic data for national surveillance and outbreak investigations.

Operational Governance

The AusTrakka Executive Group (AEG)

The AEG is the decision-making body responsible for overseeing its operation and governance. The AEG comprises representatives from public health laboratories (PHLs) across all Australian jurisdictions, the AusTrakka program and at least one representative from the Australian CDC, and relevant AHPC sub-committees where appropriate.

The group ensure the optimal operation of the AusTrakka program in alignment with both current and future national requirements for national pathogen genomics enabled outbreak response and surveillance across Australia and where applicable, New Zealand.

The AusTrakka National Analysis Team (ANAT)

The ANAT coordinates the day-to-day operations of AusTrakka and undertakes routine and ad-hoc national genomic analysis and reporting based on sequence data and metadata uploaded to AusTrakka, in line with the requirements of the AusTrakka Governance Protocol for Pathogen Genomic Surveillance. The ANAT consists of bioinformaticians and genomic epidemiologists and includes representatives from all jurisdictions across Australia.

Collaboration with Australia’s Public Health System

AusTrakka sits within Australia’s public health ecosystem. As such it is embedded within national committees such the Communicable Diseases Genomics Network (CDGN), the Public Health Laboratory Network (PHLN) and Communicable Diseases Network Australia (CDNA). This ensures that any AusTrakka surveillance or outbreak investigations are approached in a cohesive and integrated manner in the context of the work conducted by CDGN.

AusTrakka Team

AusTrakka Executive Group

• Prof Benjamin Howden, MDU PHL (VIC)

• A/Prof Amy Jennison, PEHRL (QLD)

• Prof Vitali Sintchenko, ICPMR (NSW)

• Prof David Speers, PathWest (WA)

• Dr Karina Kennedy, ACT Pathology (ACT)

• Dr Lito Papanicolas, SA Pathology (SA)

• Dr Louise Cooley, Royal Hobart Hospital (TAS)

• A/Prof Ella Meumann, NT Health (NT)

• Prof Torsten Seemann, AusTrakka and MDU PHL (VIC)

• Ms Tuyet Hoang, AusTrakka

• Ms Amy Black, Australian CDC

• Dr Michel Watson, Australian CDC

AusTrakka National Analysis Team (ANAT)

• Dr Kristy Horan, Bioinformatician, MDU PHL (VIC)

• Dr Binit Lamichhane, Bioinformatician, PathWest (WA)

• Dr Koen Vandelannoote, Bioinformatician, Royal Hobart (TAS)

• Ms Krystalyn Martin, Genomic Epidemiologist, PEHRL (QLD)

• Ms Mathilda Wilmot, Genomic Epidemiologist, MDU PHL (VIC)

• Dr Connie Lam, Genomic Epidemiologist, ICPMR (NSW)

• Dr Alicia Arnott, Genomic Epidemiologist, VIDRL (VIC)

• Dr Heather Wilson, ACT Pathology (ACT)

• Ms Amy Corbett, Program Manager, AusTrakka

AusTrakka Development Team

• Dr Clare Sloggett, Lead Developer

• Mr Samuel Carswell, Lead DevOps

• Mr Mann Sheth, Software Engineer

• Ms Jolene Langevin, Software Engineer