Invasive Biosecurity Matter

Many rural, peri-urban and even urban landholders can identify with the impacts of invasive plants and animals on their own properties or through someone they know.  These impacts are most often caused not through their own actions, but may be by seeds or animals coming down a creek or through a fence from an adjoining property or road.

Impacts of invasive plants and animals, previously dealt with under the Land Protection Act 2002, are now identified under the Biosecurity Act 2014 (introduced 1 July 2016).  The new Act makes it clear that biosecurity is everybody’s business.

Under the Biosecurity Act 2014 every Council in Queensland is required to develop a Local Government Biosecurity Plan for their area.  This plan must detail priority objectives and ideally the strategies, activities, and responsibilities to achieve these objectives.

Local Government Biosecurity Plans (LGBP) bring together all sectors of the community to manage invasive plants and animals.  They ensure resources are targeted at the highest priority invasive plant and animal activities and those most likely to succeed.

Under the Act, the main function of local government is to ensure that the invasive biosecurity matter in their area is managed in compliance with the Act.  Council is looking to owners and occupiers of the land to provide input into what they believe is a fair and reasonable response or action regarding specific invasive plants and animals in each zone.

This information is being collected by owners and occupiers completing an Invasive Biosecurity Matter Landholder Submission available on Council’s website or over the counter.

Landholder Submission

With your input, collation of the data will allow Council to formulate the Local Government Biosecurity Plan, work with landholders to identify and prioritise impacts within predefined zones and coordinate an approach to ensure that all owners and occupiers have a clear target and approach.  Therefore, any community member wishing to have input into what they believe is a target or priority species has the capacity and is encouraged to do so.

While owners and occupiers may fail to see the benefit initially, only through this type of feedback can Council and subsequently Biosecurity Queensland (BQ) and supporting Natural Resource Management (NRM) groups’ effect compliance and provide resources and assistance via workshops, information, equipment or even funding to better support the community as a whole.

Please report any biosecurity matters to Council by email or phoning 07 4761 5300.

When making a report, please include the following information, if available.

  • Name of plant if known or description
  • Location (GPS coordinates/street or road names), size of infestation, density, age (mature, flowering, seeding, juvenile, new infestation, established, etc.)
  • Clear photos of infestation and plant (try to include flowers, seed pods, leaves)
  • Describe possible modes of transmission
  • Concerns or impacts it is or may have

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