Australian Advocacy Group

The National Fire Ant Eradication Program (NFAEP) continues to do harm. They fail to act in a manner that acknowledges and respects the foundamental human rights of Queenslanders by falling short of the common standard of achievement set by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

Prophylactic distribution of poisonous toxic chemicals, in areas where no evidence of fire ants exists and where often it is impossible for fire ants to establish successful colonies, against private property owners consent, is causing harm. Harm to the community, harm to sensitive eco-systems, harm to wildlife, harm to the environment, and harm to individuals’ mental health and overall wellbeing. NFAEP fails to acknowledge or respect individual life choices about chemical free living, organic farming or the right to keep unsolicitored strangers from entering their property. They ignore medical human health issues of respiratory nature and irritation to skin and chemcial sensitivities, verified by licenced, practicing medical professionals, to conduct 100% toxic chemical coverage of over 850 thousand hectares of diverse Queensland country side, not once, but three times a year for the foreseeable future. They do this under an emergency power of a biosecurity Act about an ant that has been in southeast Queensland for approximently 40 years and despite NFAEP efforts has doubled their distribution over the past 5 years.

Manri Manning has publicly stated, at community information meetings, that she realises the NFAEP infringes human rights though as general manager of strategy and delivery she is obligued to do what is required to roll out the programs’ agenda, ignoring peoples concerns and reasonable excuses.

To combat this blantant disregard to human health and the environment Australian Advocacy Group provides personal advocacy services (https://aagpilot.com/advocacy/).

To manage the process of presenting a reasonable excuse to the program a proceedure has been developed to empower individuals and prevent the bullying, threatening and intimidating behaviour of NFAEP.

Step 1. Reach out using the contact page of Australian Advocacy Group (https://aagpilot.com/australian-advocacy-group/).

Step 2. Review Service Agreement and accompaning documentation and if happy to proceed sign, witness and return the service agreement.

Step 3. Undertake business and/or pest controller fire ant identification course provided free by NFAEP (https://www.fireants.org.au/tools/training)

Step 4. Investigate and inspect your yard and neighbouring areas (where practical) for evidence of fire ants. This current process is designed for people in areas where no fire ants are evidence. If you have fire ants please reach out for further discussions.

Step 5. Familarise yourself with Dr Joshua King’s public statement and scientific studies. In addition, familarise yourself with the NFAEP website and other resources to get to know the current situation with fire ants.

Step 6. Read, understand and agree to the statements made on the Statutory Declarations Form. The first, Resonable Excuse, details the reasonable excuse presenting to NFAEP and the second, Ordinary Person, is a declaration that as an ordinary person in the community, having sound knowledge of the NFAEP and fire ant situation, you consider the provided excuse, under the circumstances, as reasonable (kept on file incase challenged in a court of law). The context of this step in the term reasonable excuse, detailed in the biosecurity act, is not defined by legislation and is determined by a judge in court (should the program wish to challenge the excuse). The judge considers what an ordinary person would consider reasonable, under the circumstances (This is my interpretation, you may wish to seek legal advise or engage a lawyer). Sign the Stat dec’s in front of a JP and send originals or certified copies to 477 Gatton Esk Road, Adare, QLD 4343.

From here, when the documentation is all received, an email with be send to all relevent NFAEP personel, ministers and directors of Department of Primary Industries, until such time as a nominated person is assigned to handle advocate clients. The the hard copies will also be posted with registered post.

There are three notices sent to give the program plenty of opportunity to respond before the tacit agreement can be secured.

If you have any feedback or would like additional information on this advocacy service, please feel free to reach out.

NFAEP actions, policies and procedures breach several Articles of the UDHR. See full list of Articles below;

Article 1

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

Article 3

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 4

No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

Article 5

No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 6

Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

Article 7

All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

Article 8

Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.

Article 9

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Article 10

Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.

Article 11

No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.

Article 12

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

Article 13

1. Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
2. Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

Article 14

1. Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
2. This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 15

1. Everyone has the right to a nationality.
2. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.

Article 16

1. Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
2. Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
3. The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.

Article 17

1. Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
2. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.

Article 18

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Article 19

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Article 20

Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
No one may be compelled to belong to an association.

Article 21

Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.
The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.

Article 22

Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.

Article 23

1. Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
2. Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
3. Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
4. Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.
   

Article 24

Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.

Article 25

1. Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
2. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

Article 26

1. Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
2. Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
3. Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

Article 27

1. Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
2. Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.

Article 28

Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.

Article 29

1. Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.
2. In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.
3. These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 30

Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.

Reference
United Nations. (1948, December 10). Universal Declaration of Human Rights. United Nations; United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights