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Crucial time wasted on Fire ant control with belated and insufficient funding from Albanese Labor government

David Littleproud criticised Labor's delayed and insufficient $268 million federal funding to combat red imported fire ants, potentially jeopardising a time-sensitive response plan.

By news@gippsland - 22nd October 2023 - Back to News

Leader of The Nationals and Shadow Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said Labor's announcement to put aside $268 million over four years in federal funding to stop the spread of red imported fire ants was delayed and not enough. Mr Littleproud said the funding was a belated announcement that had wasted precious time. "The 'Response Plan' in July said $593 million was required over the next four years to control the pest, including immediate funding for 2023-24," Mr Littleproud said.

Mr Littleproud called for a Senate inquiry, emphasising the need for immediate action to prevent the pests from spreading beyond containment zones, with potentially far-reaching consequences

Eradication strategic review

"The National Red Imported Fire Ant Eradication Program strategic review also estimated that at least $200 to $300 million per year was required. Labor's funding was needed four months ago, which puts the time-critical response at risk. Unfortunately, the lack of action and the delays in funding undermines previous work that had been done under the Coalition government."

Mr Littleproud added it took The Nationals to call for a Senate inquiry, which will assess the current and any proposed response plans plus evaluate funding, for Labor to finally act. "The Commonwealth also should have been showing leadership on this issue but we now have to wait for other states to put their funding forward.

Impacts from insufficient funding

Mr Littleproud added, "The Invasive Species Council is warning red imported fire ants could now spread beyond current containment zones into western Queensland and New South Wales. The pest is just five kilometres from the New South Wales border on the Gold Coast and was also recently discovered on the outskirts of Toowoomba, meaning the fire ant has made it across the Great Dividing Range for the first time."

"The frightening thing is that if it gets up above the Great Dividing Range, it could potentially get into the Murray Darling Basin, and that could effectively see the fire ants go right down to Adelaide. It would impact the whole country and have devastating consequences," he said.

Pictures from Agriculture Victoria website.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com