Myrtle rust (Austropuccinia psidii) has been present in Australia since 2010, and its impact on native Myrtaceae species — eucalypts, melaleucas, lilly pillies, paperbarks — has been one of the more sobering Australian biosecurity stories of the last fifteen years. The 2026 status report from monitoring efforts shows progress in some specific areas and ongoing concern in others.

The current distribution

Myrtle rust is established across the eastern Australian seaboard from northern Queensland into eastern Victoria, with confirmed detections in Tasmania. The Western Australian situation is currently considered free, although ongoing monitoring continues, and the management of the eastern-WA quarantine boundary remains a priority for the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.

The Northern Territory situation is monitored but the pathogen has not established widely in NT native ecosystems to date.

The most affected species

The native species most affected by myrtle rust continue to be in the Rhodomyrtus, Rhodamnia, and Lenwebbia genera. Several species in these genera are now classified as critically endangered or are subject to specific recovery plans. Some have effectively disappeared from significant parts of their former natural range.

The impact on commercial Myrtaceae — eucalypt plantations, lemon myrtle production, tea tree oil production — has been variable. Some species and provenances are tolerant; others are susceptible. The commercial industry has had time to adapt to the disease pressure, and disease-tolerant cultivars have been developed for some commercial use cases.

The monitoring infrastructure

The myrtle rust monitoring infrastructure in 2026 comprises a mix of formal surveillance through state agriculture and environment departments, citizen science programs (notably the long-running myrtle rust reporting tools), and research-grade monitoring at specific sentinel sites. The data flow into national biosecurity systems has improved through coordination between state agencies and the Commonwealth.

The CSIRO and several university-based research groups continue to maintain experimental and observational programmes that contribute to the national picture.

The research outlook

Research effort in 2025 and 2026 has continued to focus on a small number of key questions. The development of resistant or tolerant Myrtaceae cultivars for ecological restoration. The understanding of strain variation in the pathogen and its implications for management. The biocontrol options, although progress on biocontrol of plant rust diseases is slow globally. The seed banking and ex-situ conservation of the most threatened native Myrtaceae species, which is a high priority given the rate of decline of some species.

The WA biosecurity story

The Western Australian biosecurity arrangements to keep myrtle rust out of the WA native ecosystem remain a national-level case study in containment success. The combination of import restrictions on Myrtaceae plant material from eastern Australia, the surveillance program at the WA border, and the public awareness investment in WA has been effective so far.

The challenge through 2026 is the maintenance of this vigilance over time, particularly as the eastern Australian situation becomes part of the accepted landscape and complacency risk grows.

The implications for restoration

For ecological restoration projects involving Myrtaceae species, the practical 2026 position is to use disease-tolerant provenances where they are available, to source plant material from nurseries with strong biosecurity practices, and to expect the pathogen pressure to remain a long-term factor in restoration planning across the affected zones. The species mix in restoration projects has shifted in some specific areas to reduce reliance on the most susceptible Myrtaceae species.

The myrtle rust story is a long-term ecological story, not an episodic biosecurity event. The Australian native conservation conversation has begun to internalise that fact.