The first year of the new $411.4m Ten Year Fire Ant Eradication Program (2017-27) was a disaster! So far this year (2018-19) Biosecurity Queensland: • blew its $40m budget in just seven months, • can’t account for hundreds of bags of bait worth more $100,000. Yet, the program has enough non-operational officers and scientists, whose jobs are to manage program resources and evaluate the program’s effectiveness, to consume nearly a quarter of the program’s budget. And the new program has a new Steering Committee responsible for approving the program’s annual budget and monitoring the program’s expenditure: replacing a previous oversight committee. The program auditor had questioned the ability of the previous committee to ensure the proper use of public money because it approved Biosecurity Queensland budgets based on reports that were not informed by reliable performance data and did not report against targets. It appears the new Steering Committee is no better than its predecessor. It is time for a Royal Commission into the waste of $500m of public money since 2001 for no public good. The fire ant infestation is now ten times worse, fire ants are always found beyond the operations of the program and continue to re-infested treated areas. The National Red Imported Fire Ant Eradication Program is a National Disaster! 4th March 2019
The first year of the new $411.4m Ten Year Fire Ant Eradication Program (2017-27) was a disaster! Biosecurity Queensland baited only 45% of its targeted area and abandoned treating persistent nests because there were too many.
So far, this year (2018-19) Biosecurity Queensland:
Yet, the program has enough directors, admin and procurement officers, policy officers, governance officers, planning officers, QA officers and ramp-up activity officers, to manage program resources (bait being one of the most fundamental), to consume nearly ¼ of the program’s budget.
And the program has enough scientists, whose jobs are to evaluate the effectiveness of the program’s fundamental treatment effort, to consume nearly as much of the budget as the compliance and community engagement teams combined.
Biosecurity Queensland’s incompetence will come as no surprise to anyone who has read the many reviews of the program. Most recently:
In 2013, the program auditor said Biosecurity Queensland did not collect fit-for-purpose performance indicators.
In 2015, the Queensland Biosecurity Capability Review said Biosecurity Queensland does not have an effective performance information management system, does not collect information on its use of resources, and does not have the capacity to address current or future biosecurity needs.
In 2017, the Queensland Audit Office said Biosecurity Queensland does not have a functioning information system and does not capture reliable and consistent performance data.
In 2017, the Agricultural Ministers’ Forum appointed a new Steering Committee to give oversight to the new Ten Year Fire Ant Eradication Program 2017-27. The Committee is made up of representatives of the Australian and state and territory governments that pay for the program. The Committee is responsible for approving the program’s annual budget and monitoring the program’s expenditure.
The new committee replaced a previous committee because the program auditor questioned that committee’s ability to ensure the proper use of public money because it accepted Biosecurity Queensland’s reports that were not informed by reliable performance data and did not report against targets.
It appears the new Steering Committee’s ability to ensure the proper use of public money is just as questionable.
It is time for a Royal Commission into Biosecurity Queensland’s waste of $500m of public money since 2001 with no public good. The fire ant infestation is now ten times bigger than in 2001: infesting Brisbane, Redland, Gold Coast, Ipswich and Logan cities and Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast, Scenic Rim, Somerset and Lockyer Valley regions. Fire ants are always found beyond the operations of the program and continue to re-infest treated areas.
The National Red Imported Fire Ant Eradication Program is a National Disaster!