Australian Advocacy Group

I’m Trevor Hold, a mental health practitioner and accredited counsellor advocating for various trade sectors and rural communities across South East Queensland.

In October 2024, I published an article, “Wieambilla Can Happen Again”, highlighting the distress caused by the National Fire Ant Eradication Program (NFAEP) and its coercive, non-consensual enforcement.

Since then, I’ve faced:

• Professional misrepresentation by Dr Rachel Chay, Deputy Director-General & Chief Biosecurity Officer.
• Discrimination and defamation by State MP Jim McDonald, including emails to my clients and public statements.
• False and misleading statements from Marning Manning, General Manager of NFAEP, in collusion with Reece Pianta (Invasive Species Council) and ABC Journalist Kenji Sato.
• Suppression of advocacy, while media outlets reporting similar concerns face no repercussions.

📰 Media Protection vs. Individual Advocacy
Major media outlets like The Chronicle operate under qualified privilege and public interest protections (Defamation Act 2005 Qld & common law). This shields journalists when reporting on matters like government programs or public safety — including concerns about potential “Wieambilla-type” incidents.

⚖️ Comparative Media Treatment
In October 2025, The Chronicle published an article, “Families of Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold Fear Another Cop Shooting Like Wieambilla”, raising nearly identical concerns about systemic failures potentially leading to another Wieambilla-style tragedy.

Yet, neither the newspaper nor its journalist faced discrimination or exclusion. This double standard shows that while media outlets are protected, private advocates are targeted and silenced for expressing the same concerns.

🛡️ Breach of Human Rights and Ethical Obligations
The harassment and suppression of advocacy contravene the Human Rights Act 2019 (Qld):

• Section 15: Recognition and equality before the law
• Section 16: Freedom of expression
• Section 17: Right to take part in public life

They also breach the Queensland Parliament’s Code of Ethical Standards, which obliges Members to act with integrity, respect, and accountability, and to avoid conduct that undermines public trust or harms constituents.

💡 Rural voices and trade sectors deserve protection, not punishment. Safe, consent-based engagement is essential — for our communities, our mental health, and our livelihoods.

📌 Support fair representation and ethical governance. Share to amplify rural voices.

📖 Read the full article from The Chronicle: Families of Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold Fear Another Cop Shooting Like Wieambilla