Ms Victoria Anderson
Secretary of the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry
Victoria Anderson was appointed Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry on 8 December 2025.
Victoria has over 25 years of experience in public policy and governance roles, including 17 years in the agriculture portfolio.
She has held several senior executive roles in the Treasury, the Department of Education, Skills and Employment and the Department of Agriculture, covering housing, small business, employment and population policy, foreign investment, national schools reform, risk and governance, drought policy, agricultural trade policy and industry assistance and adjustment.
Victoria commenced in the Australian Public Service as a graduate in the Department of Agriculture in 2000. Her interest in Australian food and fibre industries is longstanding, having grown up on a stud beef cattle property in Queensland.
She has a Bachelor of Arts/Laws (Hons) from the University of Queensland and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Australian National University.
ABSTRACT
Securing Australia’s Food Future: Resilience, trade and regional partnership
Australia is a food production powerhouse. We produce enough to feed around 75 million people and export 70% of what we grow. Both the diversity of what we produce and its quality are known and respected around the world. But this does not make us immune from challenges to food security. As the events of recent months have demonstrated, food security depends on much more than just the ability to grow.
Australia’s capacity to produce food, like many other nations, is dependent on imported critical inputs- fuel, fertiliser, chemicals, machinery, packaging and shipping- most of which originate in or transit through the Indo‑Pacific. Disruptions to these supply chains, whether caused by climate change, geopolitical tensions or economic volatility, can rapidly affect our food system. As these pressures intensify, governments are rethinking how food systems are managed, emphasising data-driven policy and long‑term planning.
Australia plays a unique regional role as a trusted supplier, research leader and long‑standing development partner. We are respected and influential in international fora and valued for our coalition building. Our relationships and reputation are just as critical to our security as our produce. Food security is achieved not through self‑sufficiency but through open markets, reliable supply chains, shared innovation and strong partnerships. The forthcoming National Food Security Strategy aims to provide a long-term, whole-of-system plan to boost the productivity, resilience and security of our national food system.
Ultimately, Australia’s prosperity depends on secure, interconnected and resilient food systems. The challenge now is to strengthen these systems so that they can respond to the next disruption.