Pest and weed build-up highlights ongoing need for biosecurity staff

Katter's Australian Party leader and Traeger MP Robbie Katter was vocal on the issue a year ago, describing the lack of a biosecurity team in Cloncurry, where the national campdrafting championships took place, with hundreds of horse and cattle movements from across Australia over a four-day period, as a breach in north west Queensland's major line of defence.

"The closest biosecurity officers are now located in Longreach and the Hughenden/Charters Towers region, where there is only one in each location," Mr Katter said at the time. "The chronic haemorrhaging of officers in the regions, and the intellectual property and professional expertise many of them hold, is inexcusable. There must be a dogged commitment to replace them at all costs."

According to the DAF spokesperson, an extensive recruitment process for two biosecurity officers in the north west region was conducted last year.

"As a result, two officers have been appointed - one in Cloncurry and one who covers the district between Cloncurry, Hughenden and Winton," they said. "Further, a recruitment process is currently underway to appoint additional biosecurity officers in the north west region covering Hughenden and Cloncurry."

The spokesperson added that officers from other regions were providing biosecurity services as needed, with regular rotations to ensure services continued.

They said there were currently 66 animal and welfare biosecurity officers across the state, adding that the number of officers, previously known as stock inspectors, and veterinarians had remained static for a number of years.

In a reply to a question on notice from Southport MP Rob Molhoek two years ago, Agriculture Minister Mark Furner said there were five vacant positions "being progressed for permanent recruitment", saying stock inspectors had been reclassified as animal welfare and biosecurity inspectors and were further defined as vet staff or operational staff.

Last week the DAF spokesperson said there were eight vacancies, with six in the process of recruitment.

In December 2022 Mr Furner announced the recruitment of 10 new biosecurity officers, saying they would be based in rural and regional Queensland to "support an 'all hazards' approach across plant and animal pests and diseases".

They were posted to Toowoomba, Mareeba, Cairns (2), Moresby, Townsville, Bundaberg, Dalby, Charleville, and Gatton.

Mr Katter said that had been of no benefit to the north west, and said this week there was no question in his mind there was still an undersupply, considering the proliferation of weed and disease threats.

"Talking to NQ Dry Tropics, Siam weed has broken out in the Burdekin, and at Charters Towers Chinee apple and bellyache bush is going out of control," he said. "Councils are the fallback position but councils shouldn't have to be responsible for it all."

The renewed questioning was prompted by news that biosecurity officer Dan Burton, with 27 years of experience, has moved on from his position with the Department of Agriculture at Blackall.

Mr Burton, who was part of a multi-national trip to Nepal in 2019 to gain experience for use as part of Australia's frontline against animal diseases such as foot and mouth, began a new job as the saleyards manager at Blackall in February.

Asked about plans for a replacement, a spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture said a recruitment process was ongoing, adding that it was anticipated it would result in an officer appointed to either Emerald or Longreach with their reach covering Blackall and surrounds.

Blackall-Tambo Regional Council mayor Andrew Martin had little confidence in a positive outcome for his region, noting that when another biosecurity officer at Blackall resigned a few years ago, the second officer position was filled from Brisbane.

"I'll only be marginally satisfied when there's another employee out here, on top of what we've got now," he said. "I accept it if the position has to go from here but the replacements have to be visible in Blackall regularly."

He remembered when 40 primary industry-focused staff were sited at Longreach and said the creeping closure of positions in the west was endangering the country's food security.

"There's no regard for the safety of the food on your plate," he said. "The government is slowly bleeding the guts out of our essential services."

As a Tambo sheep and wool producer, he had firsthand experience of what the loss of another officer meant for people on the ground when he sent a dung sample away for testing for worms last month.

"Dan would normally do it at Blackall but it was sent over to Longreach and then down to Brisbane - frankly, it's all turned to poo," he said. "We've got to do all our extension work ourselves, with help from Google."

Opposition agriculture spokesman Tony Perrett said biosecurity was the number one issue raised by producers and industry organisations with him, saying that attracting and maintaining biosecurity officers was one of his top priorities.

He said they once covered all parts of the state and had their ear to the ground, but employment gaps were stretching officers beyond their capacity to adequately deliver.

"No wonder the government is having trouble attracting officers," he said.

Mr Katter said financial incentives had been recognised as a tool for attracting staff in other fields in remote areas and said biosecurity should be no different.

He was sceptical of government claims that no-one had applied for advertised jobs, saying that no effort was being put into recruitment.

"The government needs to replace what we had, and even that was inadequate for the job at hand," he said.

The DAF spokesperson said Biosecurity Queensland remained committed to providing biosecurity services in central and north west Queensland.