CHACM is the Council of Heads of Australian Collections of Microorganisms and is comprised of the Administrative Heads of the major permanent collections of cultures of microorganisms (including cell lines, DNA, and associated biological material) in Australia. CHACM aims to promote the value and use of culture collections in Australia and their role as custodians of Australian microbial diversity and providers of reference cultures for research, taxonomy, identification, quality assurance, and for use in industry, biotechnology, biodiscovery, and education.