Australian Advocacy Group

Trevor Hold
Managing Director
Australian Advocacy Group

20 February 2025

Attention: Biosecurity Queensland Ministerial Advisory Council, Scott Spencer, Professor Maxine Whittaker, Ms Christine Rolfe, Dr Laurie Dowling, Kim Hooper, Peter Black, Belinda Callanan, Susan Hester

biosecurityroundtable@agriculture.gov.au; innovation@landcareaustralia.com.au; biosecurity.capability@daf.qld.gov.au; mark.ready@tr.qld.gov.au; IMAC-secretariat@justice.qld.gov.au; NBMCC@aff.gov.au; primaryindustries@ministerial.qld.gov.au; NBMCC@awe.gov.au; julie.collins.mp@aph.gov.au; senator.chisholm@aph.gov.au; tara.moriarty@parliament.nsw.gov.au;

My name is Trevor Hold.  I am a qualified and accredited counsellor and mental health practitioner operating a private practice in southeast Queensland.

The current National Fire Ant Eradication Program (NFAEP) strategy is doing harm to human health and overall wellbeing to a significant number of Queenslanders due to their excessive and repeated distribution of toxic chemicals.

Obviously, some residents are experiencing respiratory conditions, skin irritations and reactions to the chemicals, which are verified and documented by their GP’s, however, of equal concern is the mental health impact and feelings of helplessness associated with not being empowered with choice or alternatives to chemical treatment on private property or exposure to toxic chemicals.

Considering many experts have spoken out that eradication is impossible considering the duration and distribution of fire ants in southeast Queensland, it is time to place more emphasis on individual human rights and human health and promote a more sustainable, eco-friendly approach to managing fire ants.

Please find attached letter for consideration and supporting letter of concern by Dr Joshua King with information on his alternative treatment method available for use in Queensland and New South Wales.

Please reach out if you have any questions or would like additional information.  

Kind regards

Trevor Hold

Residents’ overall health and wellbeing are deteriorating, and community economic losses are realised, as communities struggle to deal with the physical and emotional toll caused by the National Fire Ant Eradication Program (NFAEP).  The NFAEP is using bullying, intimidation, and coercive control strategies to force prophylactic, toxic, chemical treatment on private property where no fire ants are evident, often in areas where it is impossible for fire ants to establish successful colonies. It is believed these draconian techniques are used to distort the level of objection to prophylactic treatment and opposition to the eradication program in general.

Evidence exists, including over 3200 signatures tabled in Queensland parliament on the 18 Feb 2025 calling for an immediate pause of the NFAEP and shift to a suitable suppression and fire ant management strategy, that the NFAEP is failing their Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) and that substantially more than 1% of southeast Queenslanders have expressed their opposition to the prophylactic treatment.

There is no Australian based study to suggest that fire ants cause a greater adverse effect to the Australian ecology than the repeated, excessive use of broadscale, toxic, chemicals which is failing to contain fire ants, let alone eradicate them. The program has also found no chemical treatment alternative to managing fire ants, which also contributes to negative outcomes in the community, including residents not reporting fire ants, human health and overall wellbeing decline, productivity decline in communities.

The NFAEP is failing to act in consultation with and having regard to the views and interests of public sector entities, local governments, industry, Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders under Aboriginal tradition and Island custom, interested groups and persons and the community generally.

I call on decision makers to reflect on these major issues and end the current fire ant eradication program immediately. A more sustainable, eco-friendly, community-minded approach is required.