A Senate Inquiry into the management of red imported fire ants in Australia was carried out in early 2024. A list of 10 recommendations have been made in an attempt to overhaul the management of the program in order to meet its aim of eradication (or at least containment).
The Senate Inquiry into red imported fire ants in Australia has just been released. The report is quite scathing of the program management to date, which will not come as a surprise to many who have been following the growing area of infestation. The report’s sub-title, ‘Don’t Let This Come Back to Bite Us’, reflects the serious impacts of this mismanagement, and that we are probably at the “last chance saloon” if eradication is still the objective.
Pest control industry submissions were put forward from AEPMA, Syngenta, Sundew Solutions and Infestation Tracking Systems. Three public hearings were hosted during March 2024, in Brisbane, Newcastle and Canberra, with AEPMA presenting at the Brisbane hearing and Sundew Solutions at the Newcastle hearing.
In all, 72 submissions were received and a number of common themes emerged regarding the performance of the National Fire Ant Eradication Program in these submissions, namely that there was:
- Too much bureaucracy and a lack of transparency, leading to slow decision-making and a lack of accountability;
- Poor stakeholder involvement, particularly from industry and private sectors;
- Inadequate level of expertise in the personnel making the strategic decisions and carrying out operational management, with a lack to data to allow for informed decision-making;
- A lack of desire to evaluate alternative control products and techniques.
Over-arching all these issues has been the ongoing lack of sufficient funding.
The inquiry certainly allowed all parties to offer their input and get their points of view on the record. If implemented, the resulting recommendations from the inquiry would certainly address many of the shortfalls in the current program and increase the chances of success. However, given the program has been running for over 20 years, there is probably a degree of scepticism; even if all the recommendations are implemented, the necessary changes may not be made in a timely manner.
The full report can be found on the Government website.
The ten recommendations from the inquiry are summarised here:
Recommendation 1: Federal and State Government review to determine the appropriate level of funding to achieve eradication and ensure all governments commit to providing the necessary funding.
Recommendation 2: Improve the transparency and accountability on strategic and operational aspects of the red imported fire ant response.
Recommendation 3: A rapid, independent review to be carried out on the status of actions recommended in the 2021 Independent Strategic Review. As part of this review, alternative models for the management of the program should be considered, including a statutory independent agency and a nationally led commission. The Committee recommends that this review be completed within three months and a report table in both houses of the Australian Parliament within 14 days of the provision of this report to the Minister.
Recommendation 4: All levels of government should commit to further research into red imported fire ants and control technologies and techniques. As part of this, the committee recommends that the National Fire Ant Eradication Program commits to quickly progressing the development of new and innovative control technologies.
Recommendation 5: Australian Government to establish and fund a Cooperative Research Centre encompassing independent researchers and academics, private businesses, industry representatives and governments to bring together the necessary diverse expertise for understanding red imported fire ants in Australia.
Recommendation 6: Australian Government to work with the Queensland Government to review funding and activities of the Fire Ant Suppression Taskforce (FAST). In particular to focus on areas not receiving any treatments and to commit to additional funding to expand the self-treatment programs.
Recommendation 7: Federal and Queensland Governments to collaborate with affected councils to ensure residents and businesses in these council areas are fully engaged and understand their biosecurity obligations.
Recommendation 8: Federal and state governments to carry out market research to understand the current public awareness and understanding of red imported fire ants. As a result of this work, an appropriate national awareness campaign must be initiated.
Recommendation 9: Federal, Queensland and New South Wales Governments to work on increasing compliance with movement controls for at-risk materials, including increasing biosecurity checks at border crossings.
Recommendation 10: Australian Government, in conjunction with the Queensland and New South Wales Governments, to carry out a review of the Varroa mite incursion and response to see what learnings can be applied to the fire ant management plan.
More information on fire ants.
