Invasive fire ants are known for their ability to rapidly colonise vast areas,and they have infested south-east Queensland,with a particularly problematic outbreak on the Gold Coast forcing closures of sports fields and beaches.
A countrywide infestation is anticipated when the ants,which spread by rafting down rivers on debris,enter the Murray Darling Basin network and access the river system that extends from Queensland across NSW,into Victoria and South Australia.
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They are approaching Queensland’s southern border and are expected to cross into NSW imminently. Earlier this year a queen fire ant was detected in Victoria on a freight pallet from Queensland.
Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said last month that funding would range up to $60 million until June 2024,which is the remaining funding in an existing program due to expire in 2027.
But documents prepared by a panel of state and federal government experts,obtained by this masthead,show the eradication plan was costed at $592 million over the next four years.
The national red fire ant eradication program was revised after the funding shortfall was confirmed,resulting in at least a 50 per cent cut in the proposed treatment area where ant nests would be removed,and a 50 per cent cut by area in surveillance to identify fire ant infestations.