The NSW Nationals are demanding the Minns Labor Government come clean on details surrounding the Red Important Fire Ants detection at Enfield Intermodal Logistics Centre last month.
In response to a question from NSW Nationals Upper House MP Scott Barrett, Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty told Parliament:
"We have killed the ants on the site. The ants are gone. The ants on that particular site, have been removed, killed, and eradicated by the NSW Government."
Despite this, the Minns Labor Government has only just today announced a biosecurity control order from 26 October – a month after the ants were detected and allegedly killed.
Shadow Minister for Agriculture Brendan Moylan said instead of implementing this biosecurity order sooner, the Minister spent last week accusing the opposition and media of scaremongering, lying about the timeline, and blaming Federal Labor.
"It's clear now she has misled parliament," Mr Moylan said.
"It's hard to tell if it's arrogance, laziness, or incompetence. Probably a bit of each.
"It's time for Minister Moriarty to be honest. Labor hid this detection from the public for three weeks – what are they keeping from us now?"
The Nationals are reminding members of the public to:
LEAVE IT: Don't destroy or treat a nest to capture ants.
SNAP IT: Safely take a clear photo of the ant for identification.
CALL IT: Call the helpline on 1800 680 244.
Mr Barrett said work on the control order should have begun immediately after the detection, and we are now weeks behind the game.
"Make no mistake, if we get lucky and these ants haven't spread across NSW, it will be no thanks to the Minister's inaction," Mr Barrett said.
