On the 18 October 2023, the following matter was referred to the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee for inquiry and report by 18 April 2024.
- The expected costs and impacts, if red imported fire ants are able to spread across Australia, on human health, social amenity, agriculture, the environment, infrastructure and regional workers;
- An assessment of the current and any proposed fire ant response plans for achieving the eradication of red imported fire ants;
- An evaluation of funding provided for the current or any proposed fire ant response plans;
- The effectiveness of eradication efforts and the spread of fire ants;
- Learnings of Varroa mite in managing red imported fire ants; and
- Any other related matters
You can read our submission supporting evidence here.
Recommendations:
Urgently needed actions to improve fire ant eradication:
- Eradication should remain the goal, the current national response plan should be
endorsed and South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania should commit their
outstanding share of funds to this plan. - Urgently and rapidly review the funding for the national response plan.
- Commit at least $10 million/year for public advertising, education and engagement.
- Increase transparency and accountability in program delivery and review through:
a. timely publication of key reports, minutes, priorities and data.
b. formal stakeholder consultation and involvement in the steering committee. - Urgently increase resources for the Fire Ant Suppression Taskforce (FAST) to support
self-treatment by residents in Brisbane City and Moreton Bay local government areas. - Ensure any additional outbreaks in NSW are detected and the risk of new outbreaks in
NSW is limited by:
a. Extending the Queensland fire ant biosecurity zones south to the Queensland-New
South Wales border, including key cross border freight corridors.
b. Auditing the movement of construction materials from south-east Queensland to
NSW in 2022 and 2023 and systematically checking all high risk sites identified.
c. Increasing ongoing biosecurity spot checks at Queensland border crossing points.
Longer term actions needed to achieve eradication and improve biosecurity preparedness:
7. Extend ministerial responsibility for fire ant eradication to include environment and health
ministers, in addition to agricultural ministers.
8. Ensure eradication funding decisions are made as part of a whole-of-government
response, and not just as part of the biosecurity or agriculture budget.
9. Commence development on a funding package for fire ant eradication beyond 2027, led
by the Commonwealth Government.
10. Consider establishing a stand alone fire ant response authority to run the eradication
program.
11. Undertake a comprehensive study of the predicted biodiversity impacts of fire ants and
develop key strategies to minimise their impact on Australia’s environment if they spread
beyond south-east Queensland.
12. Reform and increase national biosecurity funding to ensure that risk creators, like goods
importers, pay their fair share so that we can fund the measures needed to prevent high
risk invasive species from arriving and spreading in Australia.
13. Increase funding for research and development into technologies targeting invasive
insects, such as eDNA marker surveillance.
14. Establish a permanent national body to coordinate national actions on invasive ants and
provide dedicated funding for the National Invasive Ant Biosecurity Plan 2018-2028.
15. Undertake a comprehensive study of the health impacts of fire ants and their predicted
cost impacts on Australia’s health system.
Related Content
