Fire ant invasion spreads south as farmers and scientists call on federal and NSW governments for more help eradicating the threat
The state government confirmed the nest, which was discovered on a residential property in Tweed Heads, was destroyed yesterday and ordered a survey of the immediate 500 metres surrounding the site for any other fire ant activity.
A 5-kilometre exclusion zone around the property has been established, restricting the movement of high-risk material that could contain the insects.
"This is a national biosecurity emergency unfolding right in front of us," Invasive Species Council advocacy manager Reece Pianta said.
"We urgently need the Albanese government to step up, match Queensland's $24 million suppression funding boost, and commit to the full ongoing eradication program,' Mr Pianta said, referring to the extra eradication efforts and funding the Crisafulli government committed to yesterday in regional areas of southeast Queensland
"Their aggressive stings can trigger severe allergic reactions in humans, and they pose a serious threat to pets, livestock, native animals, and infrastructure.'
The NSW Farmers Association is also calling for a crackdown, with biosecurity committee chair Tony Hegarty saying the repeated detections of fire ants in the state pointed to a colossal biosecurity failure.
"We're rapidly losing the battle from one pest to another here in NSW, and the way we're going, fire ants could well be the next threat our government fails to control," he said.
"Current biosecurity measures clearly aren't doing the job, and while we've got $100 million in new biosecurity funding, this one pest alone could cost us $60 billion over the next 30 years."
According to the Invasive Species Council, fire ants came into Australia in shipping containers from the United States. There they cost US agriculture over $10 billion ($6.5 billion US) each year.
In the US, 30% to 60% of people in infested areas are stung each year.
The alkaloid venom causes pustules and, in some people, allergic reactions.
More than 95% of Australia is suitable for fire ant infestation, with only extreme cold areas escaping the invasive species.
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West Australian
5 days ago
- West Australian
New parliament, same old props for Anthony Albanese in ascendency
Midway through Question Time on Tuesday, Anthony Albanese received a yellow messenger envelope from which he extracted a slip of green plastic. Health Minister Mark Butler had already discreetly handed his own Medicare card to the Prime Minister minutes earlier. When Mr Albanese rose next, sure enough, he brandished the Medicare card that was never far from his hand during the election campaign. He was so wedded to the bit that, on the day he called the election, a staffer had to be dispatched to the Lodge to retrieve the green and gold card that had been forgotten on the early morning drive to visit the Governor-General. The reiteration of the familiar gesture during this first sitting of Parliament spoke to the Government's determination to focus attention on its delivery of election commitments. It wants to keep talking about what it's doing and sees the Opposition as irrelevant. The attitude shows as well in how Mr Albanese is approaching interacting with new Liberal leader Sussan Ley – or, rather, not interacting with her. He ignores her in the chamber and out of it. Even letters sent to his office go unanswered, where previously Peter Dutton's missives would at least be acknowledged. The Coalition meanwhile was determined to focus on the very topics Australians have just comprehensively shown they like Labor's approach to: health and energy. It didn't carry out any sustained test of brand new ministers Sam Rae (whose aged care portfolio has plenty that needs examining) or assistant Treasurer Daniel Mulino, baffling people on both sides of politics. The toughest questions came from the crossbenchers, like Kate Chaney asking why just 5 per cent of the National Reconstruction Fund had been spent, or Helen Haines wondering what was happening for the nearly 90,000 older Australians waiting an extra four months for the home-care packages they urgently need. Ms Ley and her inner circle jettisoned their planned QT strategy on the fly the day Mr Albanese produced the Medicare card to instead hammer the Prime Minister on the cost of seeing a doctor. Despite the boosted bulk-billing incentives promised during the election not kicking in until November, they asked repeated questions about why it wasn't free now to see a doctor. Coalition frontbencher Melissa McIntosh brandished her own Medicare card along with a credit card during Monday's question time, earning her an admonishment from Speaker Milton Dick: 'The member will not use props!' Mr Albanese, too, received a light rap on the knuckles – 'I'm sure the Prime Minister will look after that card carefully and will continue with his answer' – but it didn't prevent his gleeful grandstanding. He delivered a lesson in the old adage of campaigning in poetry and governing in prose – and fine print. How many Australians today were using their credit card to see the GP? 'Too many is the answer, which is why we want 90 per cent by 2030 to just use this little card here, this piece of green and gold plastic,' Mr Albanese said. Energy Minister Chris Bowen could barely contain his enthusiasm at being given multiple opportunities to point out the Coalition's ongoing rift over net zero and climate policy. After the WA Liberals' State council used the weekend between the sitting weeks to call on the party to dump net zero, Mr Bowen linked Andrew Hastie's leadership ambitions with his enthusiastic support for the moves and hit job on local leader Basil Zempilas. 'The West Australian Liberal Party state council voted against net zero, the Leader of the Opposition in WA came out and disassociated himself from that which earned him an attack from the member for Canning,' Mr Bowen told Parliament. 'The member for Canning will undermine any leader of the opposition that he can find. He's taking a practice run in Perth for what he intends to do in Canberra, sometime in the next 12 months as we all know.' Ali France, who won Dickson from Mr Dutton, asked the first and last questions of the fortnight. 'How has the Albanese Labor Government been pursuing its agenda this fortnight? And how does this compare to other approaches in Parliament?' she inquired on Thursday. 'The Opposition have certainly been pursuing their own agenda – or, should I say, agendas, because there's more than one over there: fighting publicly over whether climate change is real and over whether they support net zero,' Mr Albanese said, continuing with a jibe about 'a split screen showing a split party'. The Prime Minister cautioned his caucus colleagues this week against hubris, telling them Labor had to maintain its humility and sense of service and purpose to keep in voters' good books. That hasn't stopped him and his trusty Leader of the House Tony Burke from rubbing their opponents' noses in the new way of doing things. This is compounded by the depth of the Government's frontbench and ranks of rising talent, in contrast to a decimated and divided Coalition. It's like a grand final team running on against an under-14s side, one longtime political observer put it. From slashing staff to slashing questions and committee leadership positions, they're taking advantage of Labor's numbers in both chambers and control of the ways of Parliament to hinder the Opposition's work in ways that will barely register with the public at large. Take the last-minute stunt on Thursday afternoon, where Labor did a switcheroo on the private members' business for Parliament's return at the end of this month, coming good on a threat to allow Nationals renegade Barnaby Joyce all the time in the world to debate his legislation to repeal net zero. Labor also backed the Greens to set up an examination of 'information integrity on climate change and energy', which might have escaped notice had the Greens not belled the cat on it being an inquiry into conservative campaign outfit Advance. The broad sense from Liberals willing to give her a chance is that Ms Ley's first parliamentary test went OK. She didn't make a splash, but she is giving voters a reason to look again at the party. The fights over net zero and soul-searching about the party's membership and women should have happened three years ago, Liberals from both sides of the party's broad church say. It might be leading to some pain now, but better now than on the eve of an election. Same goes for contributions like that of Longman MP Terry Young, who told Parliament the 'ridiculous practice' of quotas caused more problems than they solved. 'Men tend to be more drawn to vocations that involve maths and physical exertion like construction and trades, whereas women in the main tend to be drawn to careers that involve women and care and other people,' he said. The response from most Liberals asked about it was to put their head in their hands. It was a particularly stark contrast after a week of first speeches from Labor's two dozen new MPs, most of them women and many from diverse backgrounds. They told varied and often emotional stories of what had brought them to Parliament. But the one uniting strand throughout the speeches was their genuinely heartfelt thanks to Mr Albanese — far more so than is typical. Again and again the new MPs thanked him for believing in them when no one else did, for campaigning in their seat despite many writing it off, for asking them to run in the first place. 'Advice given to us when preparing our first speech was that it wouldn't be a bad career move to put in a 'thank you' to the Prime Minister,' Rowan Holzberger, who won the Queensland seat of Forde, said. 'Of course, I want to thank him for his performance during the campaign … But I really want to thank him for being like a big brother.' Once the excitement of the new dynamics of Parliament wears off and the Prime Minister falls back into old habits, there is potential for his bulging 123-member caucus to grow restless and unruly. The deep and personal loyalty to a leader on display during these speeches shows Mr Albanese will have as firm a grip on his party room as he does his Medicare card.
ABC News
7 days ago
- ABC News
Why this image of an emaciated Gazan boy sparked controversy
The image of a skeletal one-year-old Gazan boy wearing a bin-bag nappy and cradled in his mother's arms shocked the world about the scale of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The picture of Muhammad Zakariya Ayyoub al-Matouq appeared prominently on the front page of The New York Times on the weekend with the headline 'Young, old and sick starve to death in Gaza'. It was then widely republished by major media outlets, including the ABC, BBC, CNN, Sky News, and The Guardian, and the distressing image reverberated through Australia's political echelons too, drawing commentary from Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. But questions about the photo and the child's underlying medical condition have shone a light on the difficulty of gathering and telling stories inside the besieged Gaza Strip. After the photo was published, an independent journalist said he had obtained hospital information that Muhammad had a serious genetic disorder that affected his health, and the use of the photo was misleading in representing the conditions in Gaza. Separate media organisations also reported Muhammad had cerebral palsy, and some reporting suggested media that relied on his story wilfully omitted information about his underlying health conditions, to perpetuate a narrative around famine. In an interview with the BBC, the boy's mother, Hedaya al-Muta, spoke of her son's medical history and their lack of access to medical and food aid. A few days after the photo was published, The New York Times issued a clarification that the child in the photo had been diagnosed with a pre-existing health condition, saying "we have since learned new information from the hospital that treated him and his medical records." Subsequently, ABC News spoke with the boy's mother, who confirmed her son has various health conditions but said he had rapidly lost weight and deteriorated due to a shortage of food. The clarification does not change the fact that children in Gaza are malnourished and starving, as ABC reporters and countless others, including multitudes of human rights and aid groups, have documented during recent weeks. It also reveals how Israel's blockade of food and medicine, as well as its destruction of essential health services, have compounded the situation inside Gaza. Starvation and malnutrition are becoming more profound in Gaza. Images, like those of Muhammad, have become increasingly common in recent weeks. Palestinian health authorities in Gaza have reported more than 140 deaths from starvation across Gaza, including more than 80 children. The World Health Organization (WHO) said it has recorded 74 malnutrition-related deaths in 2025, with 63 occurring in July alone. This included 24 children under the age of five, a child over five, and 37 adults. "Most of these people were declared dead on arrival at health facilities or died shortly after, their bodies showing clear signs of severe wasting," the WHO said in a statement on Monday. "The crisis remains entirely preventable. Deliberate blocking and delay of large-scale food, health, and humanitarian aid has cost many lives." On Tuesday, the United Nations-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) issued an alert that corroborated almost everything humanitarian agencies had been saying for months. "The worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip," it said. From March until May, after the ceasefire collapsed, Israel blocked all aid from entering Gaza. This past week, the WHO described the events inside the Palestinian enclave as "man-made starvation," which Israel has rejected. For nearly two years, reports from the besieged territory have explained how medical care for the most vulnerable has nearly completely ceased. The ABC has covered these cases in detail over that time. Freelance journalists engaged by the ABC during the past two years have also conveyed their own struggles around securing access to food. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to deny that there is starvation in Gaza. But even his closest ally, United States President Donald Trump, acknowledges "real starvation" is hitting Gaza. The freelance photographer behind the viral image, Ahmeed al-Arini, gathered the image for Turkish media outlet Anadolu Agency. It was then distributed to media organisations via the reputable photo wire service, Getty Images. Ahmeed al-Arini explained to the BBC how he came across the boy and his family. "He was with his mother in a tent, which is absolutely bare, bar a little oven. It resembles a tomb, really. And I took this photo because I wanted to show the rest of the world extreme hunger that babies and children are suffering from in the Gaza Strip," he said. "He'd received no baby milk, no formula, no vitamins either." Anadolu Agency also published an interview with Muhammad's doctor, Suzan Mohammed Marouf, a nutrition specialist at The Patient's Friends Benevolent Society Hospital (PFBS) in Gaza. Dr Marouf said the child was brought to the hospital a month ago and diagnosed with moderate malnutrition on top of congenital health problems and muscle atrophy. "The medical issues he had weren't significantly affecting his weight," Dr Marouf told the news organisation. "But once the siege and the closure of crossings depleted hospitals' medicine stocks and nutritional supplements, Mohammad's condition deteriorated to acute malnutrition," she added. ABC has also contacted Anadolu Agency, which has said Muhammad's mother has confirmed he has previous health complications, and she has also provided past photos of her son before his deterioration, which she says was from a shortage of food and milk. Since the war started, Israel has blocked the access of international journalists into Gaza and continues to deny repeated requests to let foreign media in. It means major news organisations, including the ABC, are reliant on the help of local Palestinian journalists, who themselves are suffering under nearly two years of war. Recently, they have told ABC of their own struggles for survival and the crippling shortage of food in Gaza. Repeated calls to allow foreign press into the Strip have been made since October 7. Amid the escalating humanitarian situation, those appeals to the Israeli government have grown louder in the past fortnight. In a statement, ABC news director Justin Stevens said: "The ABC calls on Israel to again allow international journalists to report independently from Gaza, to allow all journalists to move in and out of Gaza, and to ensure journalists in Gaza are safe." At least 186 journalists and media workers, mostly Palestinian, who have been gathering evidence of the war inside Gaza have been killed since October 7, according to the Committee for Protecting Journalists.
The Advertiser
7 days ago
- The Advertiser
As Healthscope's fate looms, Lake Macquarie Private Hospital is expanding
Consumer law won't allow Ramsay Health Care to buy the up-for-sale Newcastle Private Hospital. So said Lake Macquarie Private Hospital CEO Sharon Rewitt when asked about the prospect. "The ACCC wouldn't easily give us another hospital in the Hunter. It doesn't like anyone to dominate completely," Ms Rewitt said. "We already have a big footprint here." Ramsay owns Lake Macquarie and Warners Bay private hospitals, and officially opened a $20 million surgical centre in Charlestown earlier this month. A $45 million, six-storey expansion of Lake Macquarie Private at Gateshead gained state planning approval in May. An earlier plan for a $120 million, 10-storey tower was also approved. Given the volatility of the market, Ramsay is considering when and how to proceed. However, a concussion clinic and stroke unit have been established and the oncology unit has expanded at the Gateshead site. Newcastle Private is among the 37 hospitals owned by Healthscope, which is in receivership and expected to be broken up. It was reported this week that Ramsay was among nine parties to express interest in Healthscope hospitals. "Ramsay has publicly said we would be interested in some of the hospitals in areas where we are not," Ms Rewitt said. She said the private health sector in Newcastle was "a very competitive environment". "People are a lot more discerning now. They have information. "They can say, 'I don't want to go to that hospital because I don't think they're good. I want to go to this hospital'." The cost of surgery and seeing specialists in the private sector has come under scrutiny. Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said in March that the Albanese government would upgrade the Medical Costs Finder website. The website will display the average fee charged by specialists, including surgery prices, alongside the national average. Mr Butler said the cost of medical and hospital services was "a key driver of health inflation for consumers". He said this fed into "higher out-of-pocket costs and higher private health insurance premiums". Ms Rewitt said labour and supply costs had "gone up significantly and remain challenging". "Post-COVID, nothing really returned to normal. Over the last few years, there's definitely been an erosion of margins," she said. Private hospitals have been locked in a battle with health insurers for higher payments to cover the rising costs of treating patients. In March, Mr Butler threatened health insurers with "regulatory action" if they did not take "immediate steps" to boost funding to private hospitals. Asked if her hospital had experienced a boost, Ms Rewitt said "we have". "We're still in negotiations with a few of the insurers." She said the price of surgeries was "dictated by what we get from the health funds". "They say to us, this is what you'll get for this and that service." The federal health department states that "doctors set their own fees for private medical services". "Many doctors and insurers use gap arrangements to remove or reduce your gap payment. "Fees for the same type and quality of care might vary, depending on who you see and where they are located." Ms Rewitt said the healthcare sector must "find new ways of doing things". "People are getting older and living much longer. They live with lots of comorbidities." She said there was a lot of change and opportunity ahead. "We do a lot more work now with robotics. Patients spend a lot less time in hospital. They recover better. "The question then is, what resources are available after they've left the hospital." Consumer law won't allow Ramsay Health Care to buy the up-for-sale Newcastle Private Hospital. So said Lake Macquarie Private Hospital CEO Sharon Rewitt when asked about the prospect. "The ACCC wouldn't easily give us another hospital in the Hunter. It doesn't like anyone to dominate completely," Ms Rewitt said. "We already have a big footprint here." Ramsay owns Lake Macquarie and Warners Bay private hospitals, and officially opened a $20 million surgical centre in Charlestown earlier this month. A $45 million, six-storey expansion of Lake Macquarie Private at Gateshead gained state planning approval in May. An earlier plan for a $120 million, 10-storey tower was also approved. Given the volatility of the market, Ramsay is considering when and how to proceed. However, a concussion clinic and stroke unit have been established and the oncology unit has expanded at the Gateshead site. Newcastle Private is among the 37 hospitals owned by Healthscope, which is in receivership and expected to be broken up. It was reported this week that Ramsay was among nine parties to express interest in Healthscope hospitals. "Ramsay has publicly said we would be interested in some of the hospitals in areas where we are not," Ms Rewitt said. She said the private health sector in Newcastle was "a very competitive environment". "People are a lot more discerning now. They have information. "They can say, 'I don't want to go to that hospital because I don't think they're good. I want to go to this hospital'." The cost of surgery and seeing specialists in the private sector has come under scrutiny. Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said in March that the Albanese government would upgrade the Medical Costs Finder website. The website will display the average fee charged by specialists, including surgery prices, alongside the national average. Mr Butler said the cost of medical and hospital services was "a key driver of health inflation for consumers". He said this fed into "higher out-of-pocket costs and higher private health insurance premiums". Ms Rewitt said labour and supply costs had "gone up significantly and remain challenging". "Post-COVID, nothing really returned to normal. Over the last few years, there's definitely been an erosion of margins," she said. Private hospitals have been locked in a battle with health insurers for higher payments to cover the rising costs of treating patients. In March, Mr Butler threatened health insurers with "regulatory action" if they did not take "immediate steps" to boost funding to private hospitals. Asked if her hospital had experienced a boost, Ms Rewitt said "we have". "We're still in negotiations with a few of the insurers." She said the price of surgeries was "dictated by what we get from the health funds". "They say to us, this is what you'll get for this and that service." The federal health department states that "doctors set their own fees for private medical services". "Many doctors and insurers use gap arrangements to remove or reduce your gap payment. "Fees for the same type and quality of care might vary, depending on who you see and where they are located." Ms Rewitt said the healthcare sector must "find new ways of doing things". "People are getting older and living much longer. They live with lots of comorbidities." She said there was a lot of change and opportunity ahead. "We do a lot more work now with robotics. Patients spend a lot less time in hospital. They recover better. "The question then is, what resources are available after they've left the hospital." Consumer law won't allow Ramsay Health Care to buy the up-for-sale Newcastle Private Hospital. So said Lake Macquarie Private Hospital CEO Sharon Rewitt when asked about the prospect. "The ACCC wouldn't easily give us another hospital in the Hunter. It doesn't like anyone to dominate completely," Ms Rewitt said. "We already have a big footprint here." Ramsay owns Lake Macquarie and Warners Bay private hospitals, and officially opened a $20 million surgical centre in Charlestown earlier this month. A $45 million, six-storey expansion of Lake Macquarie Private at Gateshead gained state planning approval in May. An earlier plan for a $120 million, 10-storey tower was also approved. Given the volatility of the market, Ramsay is considering when and how to proceed. However, a concussion clinic and stroke unit have been established and the oncology unit has expanded at the Gateshead site. Newcastle Private is among the 37 hospitals owned by Healthscope, which is in receivership and expected to be broken up. It was reported this week that Ramsay was among nine parties to express interest in Healthscope hospitals. "Ramsay has publicly said we would be interested in some of the hospitals in areas where we are not," Ms Rewitt said. She said the private health sector in Newcastle was "a very competitive environment". "People are a lot more discerning now. They have information. "They can say, 'I don't want to go to that hospital because I don't think they're good. I want to go to this hospital'." The cost of surgery and seeing specialists in the private sector has come under scrutiny. Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said in March that the Albanese government would upgrade the Medical Costs Finder website. The website will display the average fee charged by specialists, including surgery prices, alongside the national average. Mr Butler said the cost of medical and hospital services was "a key driver of health inflation for consumers". He said this fed into "higher out-of-pocket costs and higher private health insurance premiums". Ms Rewitt said labour and supply costs had "gone up significantly and remain challenging". "Post-COVID, nothing really returned to normal. Over the last few years, there's definitely been an erosion of margins," she said. Private hospitals have been locked in a battle with health insurers for higher payments to cover the rising costs of treating patients. In March, Mr Butler threatened health insurers with "regulatory action" if they did not take "immediate steps" to boost funding to private hospitals. Asked if her hospital had experienced a boost, Ms Rewitt said "we have". "We're still in negotiations with a few of the insurers." She said the price of surgeries was "dictated by what we get from the health funds". "They say to us, this is what you'll get for this and that service." The federal health department states that "doctors set their own fees for private medical services". "Many doctors and insurers use gap arrangements to remove or reduce your gap payment. "Fees for the same type and quality of care might vary, depending on who you see and where they are located." Ms Rewitt said the healthcare sector must "find new ways of doing things". "People are getting older and living much longer. They live with lots of comorbidities." She said there was a lot of change and opportunity ahead. "We do a lot more work now with robotics. Patients spend a lot less time in hospital. They recover better. "The question then is, what resources are available after they've left the hospital." Consumer law won't allow Ramsay Health Care to buy the up-for-sale Newcastle Private Hospital. So said Lake Macquarie Private Hospital CEO Sharon Rewitt when asked about the prospect. "The ACCC wouldn't easily give us another hospital in the Hunter. It doesn't like anyone to dominate completely," Ms Rewitt said. "We already have a big footprint here." Ramsay owns Lake Macquarie and Warners Bay private hospitals, and officially opened a $20 million surgical centre in Charlestown earlier this month. A $45 million, six-storey expansion of Lake Macquarie Private at Gateshead gained state planning approval in May. An earlier plan for a $120 million, 10-storey tower was also approved. Given the volatility of the market, Ramsay is considering when and how to proceed. However, a concussion clinic and stroke unit have been established and the oncology unit has expanded at the Gateshead site. Newcastle Private is among the 37 hospitals owned by Healthscope, which is in receivership and expected to be broken up. It was reported this week that Ramsay was among nine parties to express interest in Healthscope hospitals. "Ramsay has publicly said we would be interested in some of the hospitals in areas where we are not," Ms Rewitt said. She said the private health sector in Newcastle was "a very competitive environment". "People are a lot more discerning now. They have information. "They can say, 'I don't want to go to that hospital because I don't think they're good. I want to go to this hospital'." The cost of surgery and seeing specialists in the private sector has come under scrutiny. Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said in March that the Albanese government would upgrade the Medical Costs Finder website. The website will display the average fee charged by specialists, including surgery prices, alongside the national average. Mr Butler said the cost of medical and hospital services was "a key driver of health inflation for consumers". He said this fed into "higher out-of-pocket costs and higher private health insurance premiums". Ms Rewitt said labour and supply costs had "gone up significantly and remain challenging". "Post-COVID, nothing really returned to normal. Over the last few years, there's definitely been an erosion of margins," she said. Private hospitals have been locked in a battle with health insurers for higher payments to cover the rising costs of treating patients. In March, Mr Butler threatened health insurers with "regulatory action" if they did not take "immediate steps" to boost funding to private hospitals. Asked if her hospital had experienced a boost, Ms Rewitt said "we have". "We're still in negotiations with a few of the insurers." She said the price of surgeries was "dictated by what we get from the health funds". "They say to us, this is what you'll get for this and that service." The federal health department states that "doctors set their own fees for private medical services". "Many doctors and insurers use gap arrangements to remove or reduce your gap payment. "Fees for the same type and quality of care might vary, depending on who you see and where they are located." Ms Rewitt said the healthcare sector must "find new ways of doing things". "People are getting older and living much longer. They live with lots of comorbidities." She said there was a lot of change and opportunity ahead. "We do a lot more work now with robotics. Patients spend a lot less time in hospital. They recover better. "The question then is, what resources are available after they've left the hospital."
