The Hon Tanya Plibersek MP, Minister for the Environment and Water
Senator Nita Green, Special Envoy for the Great Barrier Reef, Senator for Queensland
The Hon Leanne Linard, Queensland Minister for the Environment and the Great Barrier Reef
The Hon Curtis Pitt, Member for Mulgrave
The Federal and Queensland Labor Governments are today celebrating the successful eradication of yellow crazy ants from two sites totalling 48 hectares south of Cairns.
This is a huge win for nature and a massive relief for residents of the affected areas.
Exotic invasive yellow crazy ants are among the most serious global invasive pests. They kill native animals and leave a path of destruction in their wake.
The two sites where yellow crazy ants have been eradicated total the equivalent almost 70 soccer fields and include sugarcane and hillside forest sites in Mount Peter and Wrights Creek.
The sites were identified in 2017 and 2018 and have gone through long-term treatment and intensive surveys, including periodic surveillance by highly trained odour detection dogs, before being declared as eradicated.
Following the $24 million boost from the Federal and Queensland Labor Governments for the Yellow Crazy Ant Eradication Program, the Wet Tropics Management Authority has reached a significant turning point, with numerous other sites soon to be declared eradicated. 70 per cent of the overall infestation area is now under long term monitoring rather than broadscale treatment.
