A Senate committee investigating the spread of red imported fire ants in Australia has warned of "disastrous consequences" if the pest was not contained while also blasting state and federal governments for failing to publish the Fire Ant Response Plan 2023-2027 it says was "crucial" to the livelihoods of farmers.
The criticism was contained in the scathing Don't Let This Come Back to Bite Us report tabled on Thursday by the Senate Standing committee on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport which said governments must improve delivery of the eradication program after it was heavily criticised by a range of stakeholders in public hearings.
"There is no logical and coherent reason for this plan to be hidden from the public, especially given how crucial the plan is to the livelihoods of many farmers and small businesses in South East Queensland," it said.
It added that "notwithstanding funding boosts" there had been little progress over time regarding the transparency, governance and coordination of the reforms needed to eradicate RIFA.
Ten recommendations were made by the committee, including that the federal and state and territory governments urgently review the current levels of funding for the $1.2 billion National Fire Ant Eradication Program to ensure they were adequate to eradicate the pest by 2032.
The Invasive Species Council said the federal and state and territory governments must urgently act on the recommendations to both eradication program "back on track" and avoid the harsh judgement of future Australians should fire ants continue to spread.
"RIFA's ability to spread across the majority of Australia if not contained could have disastrous consequences for Australia's environment and economic output," the report said.
"Current resources and funding are unlikely to meet that eradication goal."
The federal government in 2023 committed an extra $268 million over four years to the eradication program.
The committee also said slow decision-making, particularly in the early years, and reduced funding had contributed "significantly" to the spread of RIFA to become a mammoth infestation area.
It said while eradication remained a possibility, several fundamental changes needed to be made immediately to stop red ants spreading, particularly governments working harder to increase compliance with existing movement controls, "including increasing biosecurity spot checks at border crossings."
Three fire ant nets were reported in northern NSW, presumed to be the most southern report of fire ants from the Queensland infestation, in November last year.
The committee said that it was time to consider creating an alternative statutory independent agency and nationally led commission to take over the fight against red fire ants. The program is currently funded by multiple governments but operated by the Queensland Government.
It said this should be accompanied with less bureaucracy in the delivery model, improved independence and transparency, across both strategic and operational aspects of the program, including the publication of the response plan, and better public engagement of the dangers and greater community awareness of "biosecurity obligations".
It said an an independent, rapid review should also be conducted to discover what real progress had been made following recommendations contained in a 2021 independent strategic review of the national response.
The committee also called for an uninterrupted flow of funding to safeguard against the potential impacts of RIFA on all aspects of the economy, including agriculture.
It said this must include more investment in research and innovation, including the establishment of a Cooperative Research Centre, to improve overall understanding of RIFA in the Australian context.
As well as pouring funding into progressing new technologies and techniques for eradication, including environmental DNA (eDNA) markers, biological controls, and RNA-interference (RNAi) technology.
The report also said the federal government must work with the Queensland Government to urgently review the funding and outcomes of the Fire Ant Suppression Taskforce, with a particular focus on increasing FAST activities in areas not receiving any eradication or suppression activity.
In its submission to the inquiry, the Queensland Farmers Federation noted that industry consultation had been 'haphazard and sporadic at best', and that collaboration with representative bodies was imperative.
The Senate committee used the unpublished Fire Ant Response Plan 2023-2027 to illustrate the transparency, governance and coordination issues plaguing the program
"Unlike other biosecurity responses, there had been no formal involvement of the agriculture industry in RIFA response management as farmers do not contribute levy funds to the response effort," it said.
"However, those impacted by red imported fire ants (including farmers) do pay the taxes that fund the government departments tasked with the red imported fire ant response."
The report also said that governments had failed to adequately involved private sector experts with "on-the-ground know-how" and that they must be used more going forward to guide a more effective fire ant response.
Meanwhile, the committee noted a Queensland Canegrowers Organisation submission detailing failures with the aerial baiting program including communication with farmers on an incorrect buffer zone, which resulted in gaps in application and "a less effective operation" than it could have been.
In response it suggested government must assess the need for increased self-treatment resources based on the "overwhelming" number of RIFA infested zones that are currently not receiving access to treatments.
"There is also a clear need for supplemented activity in areas receiving treatment where baiting gaps have been identified, including for farmers receiving aerial treatments," the report said.
The committee also recommended that governments adopt a National Farmers Federation recommendation to review the Varroa mite incursion "to identify and study tension points that also exist in the red imported fire ant response."
Invasive Species Council advocacy manager Reece Pianta said while the report showed the eradication program had slowed the spread of the pests, the approach is "not a solution."
"The evidence to the committee was damning," he said.
"There's now no excuse, the government must conduct an urgent review of fire ant eradication funding. 'The Prime Minister and Minister Murray Watt and state and territory governments must act on these urgent recommendations to get fire ant eradication back on track."
The report follows the release of Australia Institute economic modelling showing that fire ant impacts could cost the Australia economy more than $2.5 billion a year by 2035.
