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Fire ants are hampering agriculture, tourism and even kids' sport, with calls for more federal funding to control the spread of one of the world's worst pests.
Australia is being warned it can't afford to lose the battle against fire ants, as one of the world's worst invasive pests affects agriculture, wildlife, tourism and even kids' sport.
Queensland's Primary Industries Minister Tony Perrett joined a group of regional mayors in Canberra on Tuesday to push for more funding to eradicate fire ants.
The delegation called for the federal government to match the state's $24 million for suppression efforts, along with an extension of the national program that is funded until 2027.
The pest invasion was affecting agriculture, native wildlife, the health system, building codes, tourism, sport and families' enjoyment of outdoor areas, the delegation warned."
This pest is one of the most invasive pests in the world," Mr Perrett told reporters at Parliament House in Canberra.
"It's one that we can't afford to lose the battle on.'
Work to eradicate fire ants, known for their painful and venomous stings to humans and animals, has long been centred in southeast Queensland.
There were detections at a WA port in 2019 and in NSW in 2023 and 2024, while a nest was discovered and treated with insecticide 17km north of the Queensland-NSW border in early November.
Fire ants travel in materials such as hay and soil, with restrictions on high-risk items from the southeast Queensland epicentre.
Logan mayor Jon Raven said 8200 fire ant nests had been treated in the region's parks over the last year.
"Communities are struggling to hold events in parks, they're worried about having parties in their own backyards because their kids are getting bitten so badly," Mr Raven said.
Fire ants are considered one of the worst invasive species to reach Australia, potentially causing more economic damage than cane toads, rabbits and feral cats combined.
The economic impact of fire ants could be $22 billion by the 2040s, meaning it would be less costly to spend up to $300 million each year for a decade to eradicate them, according to modelling by the Australia Institute.
The federal four-year plan, backed by state funding until 2027, is worth $592.8 million.
Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said the federal government's share was a record spend.
"Eradicating fire ants is not an easy task - many countries have tried and failed, but we have been largely successful in containing their spread," Ms Collins said, announcing the funding in 2024.
But Invasive Species Council's advocacy director Reece Pianta warned fire ant nest densities had since grown in the Queensland suppression zones.
"It's not just a problem for southeast Queensland or for a couple of local governments," Mr Pianta told AAP.
"If it gets out of control it'll be a problem for the entire country."
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