The Australian Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (AGAR) is one of Australia’s longest‑standing national collaborations that monitors antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in key bacterial pathogens. The group is a network of clinicians and scientists from major microbiology clinical laboratories located across Australia. It was established in 1985 and has expanded from 13 teaching hospitals to 34 laboratories servicing 55 hospitals. AGAR’s purpose is to test and collect data on AMR in bacteria responsible for serious infections, primarily focusing on bloodstream infections.

AGAR is one of several surveillance partners contributing to the Australian Centre for Disease Control’s Antimicrobial Use and Resistance in Australia (AURA) national surveillance program. The other major AURA surveillance partners are:

• NAPS — National Antimicrobial Prescribing Survey

• NAUSP — National Antimicrobial Utilisation Surveillance Program

AGAR plays a central role in Australia’s AMR surveillance system by providing data directly to the Australian Centre for Disease Control. The data is used to update treatment guidelines, inform hospital stewardship programs, support outbreak detection, and guide national health policy. This makes AGAR a critical part of Australia’s response to AMR, which is considered one of the biggest threats to human and animal health.