Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence, Senator Sandy Macdonald congratulated staff from the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) for their behind-the-scenes work to ensure the safety and security of all personnel at Games venues.

"DSTO provided specialised support to the Incident Response Regiment in the event of having to prevent or deal with any incident involving a chemical or biological hazard," Senator Macdonald said.

The DSTO scientists were part of the 2,600 Defence staff involved in Operation Acolyte, which provided overall security for the Commonwealth Games. They were ready and available to assist the Victorian Police in dealing with any threat or emergency. They were on call round the clock to assist and advise the local emergency and forensic authorities.

Senator Macdonald said that while the work of the research scientists is vital for Defence, it was also pleasing to see their expertise and efforts being applied directly in support of the broader civilian community.

"Much of the work of our Defence scientists is not visible but made an enormous difference to the successful staging of this high-profile public event," Senator Macdonald said.

"I thank our scientists for ensuring the safety and security of the Commonwealth Games."

This is not the first time DSTO scientists have been made available for large public events, having provided similar support during the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the Rugby World Cup and the 2002 CHOGM.