Governance

TERN Australia’s main source of funding comes from the Australian Government through an NCRIS grant. The University of Queensland (UQ) in Brisbane acts as the Lead Agent, hosting TERN Australia’s head office, which is comprised of project management for Engagement; Education and Training; Threatened Species Index; Coastal wetlands; and the Camera trap + Ecocoustic observatory activities. Also at UQ is the TERN Data Services and Analytics team.

The University of Queensland contracts many universities and CSIRO to operate components of TERN’s monitoring activities across the continent and undertake Modelling and Synthesis. UQ’s partners in delivering TERN’s activities are CSIRO, Adelaide University, James Cook University, Queensland University of Technology, Australian National University, University of Western Sydney, University of Western Australia and University of New South Wales. 

TERN also collaborates with other NCRIS-funded capabilities to combine the expertise and infrastructure needed for addressing multi-disciplinary projects such as changes to Australia’s coasts (CoastRI) and changes to urban climate (Australian Urban Climate Research Infrastructure).

During 2026, TERN is undergoing a governance restructure. The Advisory Board, chaired by Dr Les Trudzik, is responsible for oversight of TERN’s strategic intent and ensuring TERN Australia’s activities are aligned with supporting national priorities for industry and government and Australia’s world-leading research in the environmental sciences. The TERN Executive Group, comprised of the leads from each of TERN’s capabilities, provides a forum for managing operational matters.