Jonathan Early | acting Assistant Secretary, Veterinary and Export Meat Branch
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

Dr Jonathan Early is a veterinarian and acting Assistant Secretary with the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, working at the intersection of animal health, biosecurity and international trade. His experience spans live animal imports and exports, export meat systems and market access, including leadership of risk assessments, incident responses and foreign competent authority audits. Jonathan has worked across regulatory policy, operational delivery and emergency management, and regularly engages in international technical and regulatory forums. He holds a PhD in Veterinary Science and has a background across government, private veterinary practice, and research and teaching. Alongside technical leadership, Jonathan has supported wellbeing and capability initiatives within the Veterinary and Export Meat Branch within the Exports and Veterinary Services Division, with a focus on a sustainable and capable veterinary workforce, psychologically safe teams and leadership in high pressure regulatory environments.