Dozens of new housing estates in south-east Queensland have become infested in recent years because Biosecurity Queensland does not control the movement of fire ant carriers like soil and mulch out of infested areas. Biosecurity Queensland’s Work Plan for 2017-18 was to monitor and enforce controls on the movement of fire ant carriers outside the Fire Ant Biosecurity Zone without a permit. With thousands of businesses that deal in fire ant carriers in over 400,000ha, Biosecurity Queensland inspected less than 400 such businesses and found only a handful of non-serious compliance breaches and two serious, on-going, non-compliance instances. With this level of compliance activity, it is no wonder fire ants continue to spread into new housing estates: putting the safety of resident at risk, particularly young children, and potentially reducing the value of their new homes. It is time for a Senate inquiry into Biosecurity Queensland’s colossal waste of >$400m+ of public money from 2001 to 2017 and the waste of the $38m during 2017-18. 29th November 2018
Fire ants have recently been found in yet another new housing estate in the rural township of Fernvale in south-east Queensland. Dozens of new housing estates in south-east Queensland have become infested in recent years because Biosecurity Queensland does not control the movement of fire ant carriers like soil and mulch out of fire ant infested areas
Fernvale is rural township of a few thousand people in the Brisbane Valley. Being relatively close to Brisbane (60km) and Ipswich City (25km), and with all the charms of a small country town, it has become attractive to new residents. Housing developers have responded to that need. And because Fernvale is close to big cities and close to the Brisbane River, the Wivenhoe Dam and the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail, the town is also attractive to day-trippers who come to fish, swim or canoe on the dam or the river, or to walk or ride the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail on horse-back or bicycle. Fire ants in Fernvale are now a risk to both residents and visitors alike.
From the day in 2001 when fire ants were first detected in south-east Queensland, fire ant experts have said it was critical to aggressively contain the spread of fire ants by putting tight controls on the movement of fire ant carriers, like soil and mulch, out of the infested area.
Biosecurity Queensland’s target for controlling the movement of fire ant carriers in south-east Queensland for 2017-18, part of the new $411.4m, 2017-2027, Ten Year Fire Ant Eradication Program, was to monitor compliance with and enforce controls on the movement of fire ant carriers as prescribed by the Biosecurity Regulation 2016. The Regulation says a person must not move a live fire ant, soil, or other fire ant carrier outside a Fire Ant Biosecurity Zone, without a permit.
The Fire Ant Biosecurity Zone covers most of Brisbane south of the river and increasingly, areas north of the river, all of Ipswich city, all of Logan city, virtually all of Redlands city, almost half of Gold Coast city, increasing areas in the Lockyer Valley, Scenic Rim and Somerset regions and north into the Moreton Bay region and the Sunshine Coast: an area well over 400,000ha and at least twice the size of the Australian Capital Territory.
There are thousands and thousands and thousands of businesses that deal in fire ant carriers in that huge area. During 2017-18 Biosecurity Queensland’s compliance officers inspected less than four hundred such businesses and found only a handful of non-serious compliance breaches and even less instances of serious, but on-going, non-compliance instances.
With Biosecurity Queensland’s appalling level compliance activity, it is no wonder fire ants continue to spread into new housing estates both inside and beyond the Fire Ant Biosecurity Zone. Biosecurity Queensland is putting the safety of resident at risk, particularly young children, and potentially reducing the value of their new homes.
It is time for a Senate inquiry into Biosecurity Queensland’s colossal waste of >$400m+ of public money from 2001 to 2017 and the waste of another $38m during 2017-18.