Known to Quandamooka people as Minjerribah, this beautiful and fragile island, one of the world’s largest sand islands, is 25 minutes by boat across Moreton Bay from Brisbane’s bayside.
Well outside Biosecurity Queensland’s Fire Ant Zone, and with no inspection of goods taken onto this delicate island to ensure its safety, it was inevitable that a lot of nests of one of the world’s worst invasive species were recently found near the historical township of Dunwich.
Biosecurity Queensland is now inspecting a large area them.
In 2001, national and international fire ant experts advised the Queensland government that the infestation, detected then, was too entrenched to eradicate and recommended a program to tightly contain and suppress the infestation. Instead the Queensland government implemented an unscientific chase after the last fire ant to eradicate it because such a folly would attract national funding.
Over twenty years later, the fire ant Infestation in south-east Queensland is twenty times worse than in 2001, and fire ants are spreading out of control.
Queensland Minister for Agriculture, Mark Furner has a lot to answer for.
3rd February 2023