My first encounter with the DPI's fire ant people was when I was trying to get some excavation done for an additional room and garage and before I could have the earth removed, or even disturbed really I was advised to get a fire ant inspection as I was in the fire ant area on the latest expanded list.
After calling them and arranging the inspection and waiting at home for them only to have their inspector not turn up, I called them the next day to be told he did and that a report would be sent in the mail, now I can tell you there is no possible way anyone could have come up here with out my knowledge, the gate is closed and the dog will bark, and I had deliberately set myself up in the car port with a little refinishing job on a cabinet so i would be available.
After the work was done, I began to reinstate gardens around the area and came across some ants that were very lively, had a quite nasty bite/sting and were consistent in colour with what I'd read fire ants were so i called the number on my information to have them assessed, again they didn't come out. After a week or so I called to remind them and they told me they'd looked and that they were a kind of native ant. There was again no way they could have been here without my knowing it.
I continued with my gardening and used a strong pesticide to thoroughly drench the mulch in which I'd seen them (two trees had to be removed for the garage area and I'd had them mulched for this purpose)
I have also talked to others who have worked in the industry (earthmoving) and they have similar stories about nonchalance of the DPI's fire ant people and the utter lack of care, one who used to own a site where a refuse transfer station was on a portion, and turf on the rest of it told me of stories where fire ant people would turn up in a bus and sit under the trees for the day and then go home.
This was in the Courier Mail (Sunday Edition)
THE war against deadly fire ants could be lost amid claims the $250 million program to eradicate the pest has been badly mismanaged.
Scientists say mishandling of the program has sparked widespread "cynicism" about Queensland's claims to have the problem under control.
They are demanding an independent review before a national disaster develops.
Efforts to wipe out the pest have descended into a blame game, with Queensland Agriculture Minister Tim Mulherin accusing the Federal Government of putting national biosecurity at risk through years of inadequate funding of the state's eradication program.
The State Government has warned the $15 million being injected into the problem each year might not be enough to stop the species invading other states and potentially causing billions of dollars damage to the national economy.
"Queensland does not believe $15 million is sufficient to fund a fire-ant eradication program," Mr Mulherin said.
"We need a stronger ongoing funding commitment from all states and the Commonwealth to continue the eradication program in Queensland so that we don't see fire ants marching into NSW and Victoria," he said.
Federal Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig said Canberra had provided half the $245 million spent on the fire-ant program since 2001.
"The Gillard Government takes any potential threat to Australia's biosecurity seriously," he said.
Queensland receives $15 million a year under national funding arrangements to combat fire ants, with the Bligh Government injecting an extra $6 million this year.
The stoush has hit a crucial point following the discovery of hundreds of new infestations in Brisbane's southwest since 2010.
Members of the National Management Group the key decision-making body on fire ants will meet next month to consider "further advice on the program".
The meeting could determine the future direction and funding for the fire-ant program, with the group responsible for deciding on the best combat method.
A Campbell Newman-led LNP government has pledged an independent review of the program amid claims the Bligh Government has overstated its achievements.
LNP agriculture spokesman Andrew Cripps said the government "does not appear to be making substantial headway". "We definitely need to have a good solid look at why the response is not being effective," he said.
Former top government adviser on fire ants Pam Swepson, who became a whistleblower, said the country would pay the price for government bungles and cover-ups.
"We are yet to have a death in Queensland but it's just a matter of time," she said.
Dr Swepson said the extent of the fire-ant infestation in Queensland has been covered up to stop the Federal Government pulling funding.
"While they (the State Government) were continuing to call it an eradication program, even though it was extremely compromised and there's no chance we can eradicate it any more, the funding kept coming which would give them reason for under-reporting," she said.
Experts in the US, where people die from fire-ant stings every year, say the state has little chance of eradication.
Fire-ant expert Dr Bart Drees, from Texas, where $US1.2 billion ($1.1 billion) a year is spent on containing fire ants, said eradication had not been achieved anywhere, and University of NSW entomologist Dr Chris Orton has called for an independent assessment of claimed successes.
Biosecurity Queensland fire-ant eradication program deputy director Craig Jennings insisted Queensland could still wipe out the pest.
An estimated 65,000 colonies were detected when fire ants were first found in 2001, but last year that was down to about 500 colonies.
Mr Jennings said the strategy could now shift from large-scale treatments to surveillance and more targeted treatments.
The number of fire-ant staff has grown from 100 workers five years ago to 190 staff less than half the number on the program in 2001.
With such a huge department, and the manner in which the public service goes about it's work, is it any wonder those in charge of a large workforce with importance and control and I assume very high salaries would actually want to succeed in the task and see it all over, the answer in short is No.
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3 comments:
In all fairness I must say that when the program first started I thought it was over kill with anti fire ant troops on my land almost every month. But that happened about 3 years ago. The last time I saw them there were about 10 walking across my paddock with my horse running circles around them.
On Middle Road, Boronia Heights there are flashing lights about Fire ants. I personally hate flashing lights unless its in regard to roadworks or danger on the road. Would the money be better spent on flyers to each home?
I also wonder if jobs are dependant on 'keeping' the fire ants? The Federal Gov is obsessed with job figures - more so than actual jobs.
In america, in the state of Texas
alone, over $1 billion annually is
spent just controlling the fire ant, it is too late to eradicate
them completely. But that price
tag is based on a very efficient
and clinical program which makes
the australian response to fire
ants look decidedly directless
and as you intimated, set up
to keep a government department
employed till dooms day while
the fire ant keeps marching on.
There have been a lot of stories like the OP has re fire ant people not really performing. It's a tough job searching for something across hundreds of acres of swamp, rural, industrial and residential land, and when owners tell them to keep off. There also has been questions about where they get people from with interesting stories about prisoners on work release being among them, funny stuff, unless it's true and they're using the fire ant inspections to case your place. The big problem with the Fire Ant department is that it spent a lot of resources focusing on chasing people and wasting a lot of money on signs and paperwork to try to get the private sector to cop the blame for any new infestations, instead of just killing them off. I'd hate to do the sums on the waste over the years in the Fire Ant department, but if people were only promoted for success, there'd be no managers there at all because it has been an atrocious failure.
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