Biosecurity experts urge review of fire ant program as invasive pest found in Central Queensland

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Biosecurity experts are calling for a review of the fire ant program following the discovery of the invasive pest for the first time in Central Queensland. The ants were found last week at the Broadmeadow coal mine, southwest of Mackay. Head of the Invasive Species Council Jack Gough wants the government to do more to stop the spread of the ants.

Transcript

00:00Fire ants are one of the world's worst invasive pests and unfortunately there is a persistent

00:07outbreak of them in South East Queensland and the risk is that if they're not controlled

00:11in South East Queensland they could spread to the whole of Australia and the reason they're

00:16such a threat they're a very tiny ant but they pack a huge sting if they get on you

00:22they all sting at once if you disturb one of their nests and actually the anaphylaxis

00:26rate with fire ants is about three times that of B so dealing with those fire ants is just

00:31being left up to local councils to local businesses and residents that is not good enough that is

00:36something which is a massive hole in the program we are going to keep seeing fire ants getting

00:41through the cracks turning up in new locations last year there was a fire ant queen that turned

00:46up in Melbourne we just had one turn up in Perth this will keep happening if the federal government

00:51and governments around Australia do not step in with the extra funding which they know is needed

00:56except the issue right now is bureaucracy is getting in the way of getting money on the

01:00ground to deal with an uncontrolled highly dense outbreak and that puts all of Australia

01:05at risk of a permanent fire ant future

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