The Invasive Species Council is urging the federal government to reject a pet industry push to allow the import of exotic dubia cockroaches, warning the species could pose a threat to Australian wildlife and establish across parts of tropical and subtropical Australia.
The warning comes just months after federal wildlife officers seized more than 100,000 exotic cockroaches from a commercial breeder in Bathurst, NSW – the largest seizure of illegal exotic invertebrates in Australia’s history.
Most of the insects seized were dubia cockroaches (Blaptica dubia) and Madagascar hissing cockroaches, with the federal government warning at the time that the species had not undergone an environmental risk assessment and could spread disease and harm Australian wildlife and agriculture.
The Pet Industry Association of Australia has now applied to have dubia cockroaches added to Australia’s Live Import List, which would open a pathway for their legal import into Australia.
‘Allowing dubia cockroach imports would expose Australia to an unnecessary biosecurity risk. Australia has more than 500 species of native cockroaches. We don’t need to introduce a new and potentially invasive cockroach into the mix,’ Invasive Species Council Senior Policy Analyst Claire Bookless said.
‘Dubia cockroaches have never been approved for import into Australia and there are still major gaps in what we know about the risks they could pose to Australian wildlife.
‘The pet industry’s application acknowledges there is a risk these cockroaches could establish in tropical and subtropical Australia – the same parts of the country that include extraordinary places like the Wet Tropics, Gondwana Rainforests and Kakadu World Heritage areas.
‘Once a cryptic, nocturnal insect like this establishes itself in the bush, realistically, you are not going to get rid of it.
‘Our native cockroaches might not get the same attention as koalas or cockatoos, but many play important roles breaking down leaf litter and wood, aerating soils and providing food for native lizards, frogs and birds.
‘There is still a lot we don’t know about the dubia cockroach species, including its wild ecology and behaviour and what diseases or parasites it could introduce to Australian wildlife.
‘When the consequences of getting this wrong could be irreversible, the burden of proof has to be on those proposing to bring a new exotic animal into Australia.
‘If we don’t have strong scientific evidence that a species poses an acceptably low risk to the environment, we shouldn’t allow it to be imported.
‘Adding dubia cockroaches to the Live Import List would not suddenly make the cockroaches already illicitly kept and bred in Australia lawful.
‘The Australian Government should not create an expectation that if an illegal exotic species becomes widespread enough in the pet trade, that becomes a pathway to getting it approved.
‘If the government is concerned people may dump their illicit dubia colonies, we would support a time-limited amnesty so they can be surrendered or euthanised without penalty. That would be a far better option than rewarding an unlawful trade by opening the door to future imports.’
Research has identified parasites including pinworms in captive dubia cockroach colonies, but the potential for diseases or parasites to spread to Australian native invertebrates or reptiles has not yet been fully assessed.
The Invasive Species Council is calling on the Minister for the Environment and Water, Murray Watt, to refuse the application to allow dubia imports. We also urge the National Environment Protection Authority to undertake a comprehensive and publicly available risk assessment, establish a time-limited amnesty for the surrender of unlawfully held dubia cockroaches and undertake surveillance and enforcement to ensure all illicit populations of dubia cockroaches are eradicated.
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Background:
- Dubia cockroaches (Blaptica dubia) have never been included on Australia’s Live Import List and cannot lawfully be imported into Australia. They have nevertheless been unlawfully bred and sold as feeder insects for pet reptiles.
- In June 2026, the Pet Industry Association of Australia applied to add dubia cockroaches to Part 2 of the Live Import List. A listing would allow people to apply for permits to import the species subject to conditions.
- Listing the species would not make existing illegally imported cockroaches or their offspring lawful.
- The industry application assesses establishment risk as low-to-moderate in southern Australia and moderate in tropical and subtropical Australia.
- Dubia cockroaches have demonstrated an ability to survive outside captivity, with a population recorded surviving two cold winters outdoors in Japan.
- Australia has more than 500 native cockroach species, including species found in tropical and subtropical forests such as the Wet Tropics, Gondwana Rainforests and Kakadu.
- Earlier this year, federal wildlife officers seized more than 100,000 live exotic cockroaches from a commercial breeder in Bathurst, with an estimated value of up to $200,000.
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