Fire Ant Eradication Program Funding in Jeopardy as Advocates Urge Government Support

Advocates are calling on state and federal treasurers to fund the next step in fire ant eradication efforts, as a funding cliff looms in June next year. The National Red Imported Fire Ant Eradication Program Response Plan 2027-32 was discussed by state and federal agriculture ministers last week.

Progress and Impact

Queensland Primary Industries Minister Tony Perrett presented the potential impacts and consequences of wider proliferation of fire ants. Eradication of the pests was deemed to remain "technically feasible, cost beneficial and in the national interest". Ministers "agreed to consult their respective governments on funding and come back together for a final decision" ahead of next year's budget.

Invasive Species Council (ISC) advocacy director Reece Pianta said the program was beginning to see a "turning of the tide" in fighting the spread of fire ants. "We've seen 208,000 hectares, an area almost the size of the ACT, transition from the suppression zone into active eradication," Mr Pianta said. "Fire ants removed from the Murray-Darling Basin in northern New South Wales, no new nests detected in central Queensland."

Consequences of Inaction

Mr Pianta said if the ants got out of control they would cause more than $2 billion in economic damage each year. ISC modelling suggests the eradication program would cost $1 billion over five years. He said the track record of funding for the program was "pretty scary", and that the last funding gap in 2023 saw efforts move backwards. "What that resulted in was about a 40 per cent increase in the fire ant infestation zone. It grew from around 600,000 hectares to about 850,000," he said.

He said another funding gap in the program could see governments lose the chance to eradicate the pests completely. The ISC urged governments to ensure funding for the next "really crucial" phase of the program. "There's a responsible program in the field now, the community is backing it," Mr Pianta said. "We need our governments to fund it to complete its work. For our treasurers and finance ministers around the country, the cost-benefit analysis is clearly in favour of paying to complete eradication right now."

Call to Action

Mr Perrett told state parliament in June that fire ants remained "one of Australia's most significant biosecurity threats" as he announced $10.5 million in state funding for suppression efforts in 2026-27. "Primary producers have strongly supported the suppression efforts because they understand what is at stake … sugarcane, nursery, turf and hay know that fire ants threaten their industries, and more broadly agricultural production, regional economies, and our way of life," he said. "Noting that a new response plan is being negotiated for the nationally cost-shared program, I again call on the federal government and cost share partners to include fire ant suppression within the next response plan."

Program Details

The National Fire Ant Eradication Program targets properties in a broad band known as an "eradication area" around a fire ant "suppression zone", which covers a large corner of south-east Queensland, including Brisbane. The goal is to treat every property in the eradication area up to six times over a two-year period, before contracting the zone and targeting a new set of properties.

Properties not within the eradication zone will not be specifically targeted, but residents can contact the Fire Ant Suppression Taskforce and work with them to treat fire ants found on their properties. Areas are monitored for five years following treatment to ensure fire ants do not return.