A big must

The march of the fire ants is intensifying despite efforts. We need to do more

The economic threat that the relentless march of the fire ants poses to the Gold Coast, and to the nation at large, cannot be understated. Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers put it in blunt terms in October:

“If they aren’t eliminated, these ants will quickly migrate across the country and that would cause economic, health and social impacts in excess of $1.25bn annually, forever”.

Consider this cost - it’s half the Gold Coast City Council’s entire annual budget, the value of the light rail’s first stage and frankly, something we cannot afford.

While the direct impact of the “super pest” themselves has largely remained out of sight and out of mind for many, news that a new nest of the pests was found at Helensvale’s Hession Oval on Tuesday, forcing the abandonment of a planned first-grade two-day game brings home the cost of these creatures.

There are now fears of what would happen if fire ants are found at NRL or AFL grounds, or worse yet, at Olympic venues just before the 2032 Games.

The economic damage, international embarrassment and reputational hit would be without peer.

The initial warnings about their renewed spread last year went unheeded despite alarm bells being rung by Cr Hermann Vorster and the Invasive Species Council.

It took far too long for federal and state authorities to act and when they did the dollar figure committed was not anywhere close to what the Auditor General said was needed to ensure that fire ants are eliminated.

To be clear, the funding committed by the federal and state governments was welcome but it is a drop in the bucket for what is needed.

Deliberations for this year’s state and federal budgets will begin in coming weeks and it is essential both the Gold Coast and the fire ants threat is front of mind.

Hundreds of millions of dollars will be needed to wipe these insidious pests out which are also threatening NSW. It’s a lot of money to be sure but it is milk money compared to the financial devastation which our sporting and tourism sectors would face if we were to allow fire ants to spread further and endanger our future.