Cook Government provisions additional $26.5 million for shot-hole borer response
Two zones remain for Perth metro area to help slow the spread and reinforce strict quarantine rules
Protecting WA's tree canopy and horticulture industry remains key focus
Funding for three new WA-based research projects
New funding of $16.9 million in 2025-26 State Budget for urban tree canopy and Treebates programs
Western Australia will focus on limiting the spread of the polyphagous shot-hole borer following a national decision to transition the biosecurity response to a management phase.
The National Management Group (NMG) met on Wednesday and determined it is no longer technically feasible to eradicate shot-hole borer from WA, after considering the latest scientific data and advice from the country's chief plant health managers and leading plant biosecurity experts.
The invasive pest was first detected in WA in 2021 and has been the subject of an extensive nationally coordinated biosecurity response.
A new national Transition to Management plan will now be finalised.
The Cook Government has provisioned $26.5 million for the shot-hole borer response plan in the 2025-26 State Budget, to focus on the management of the invasive pest to slow its spread, limit the impact on healthy trees and to protect our horticulture industry.
The funding is part of an additional $62.6 million investment by the Cook Government in biosecurity response activities over 2024-25 to 2027-28.
Another $2.17 million Cook Government investment will fund three new research projects to help limit the spread of shot-hole borer, including investigating chemical treatments, through the WA Agricultural Research Collaboration.
These projects bring together expertise from across the State's leading universities, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and the CSIRO.
The Cook Government is also significantly investing in protecting and expanding WA's urban tree canopy through the $7.2 million WA Tree Recovery program, and the $16.9 million Treebates and Urban Canopy Program.
The community is urged to continue reporting any shot-hole borer sightings at https://mypestguide.agric.wa.gov.au/reporter/#/ or through the MyPestGuide app.
An online resource with an interactive map allowing the public to find out which Quarantine Zone they live in, what to look for and what not to move is available at: https://www.dpird.wa.gov.au/pshb
As stated by Agriculture and Food Minister Jackie Jarvis:
"Protecting Perth's tree canopy and our valuable horticulture sector from shot-hole borer remains front and centre for WA as the national biosecurity response moves into a management phase.
"The WA community, our State's biosecurity teams, and local government authorities have worked incredibly hard since 2021, and as a result we have a strong foundation to manage this pest going forward.
"These efforts and our strong, decisive action mean we have limited the spread of the shot-hole borer to the Perth metropolitan area, stopping the impact it could have had on our State's horticultural sector.
"WA will now continue work with our national partners to finalise a Transition to Management plan.
"We will continue to look for alternative solutions by supporting local scientists to undertake more research under WA conditions.
"The more we can learn about this pest, the better equipped we will be to protect and support our State's tree canopy and agricultural industry.
"I want to thank the community, industry and local governments who continue to work alongside us.
"We need the community more than ever, and I urge everyone to continue reporting signs of the borer and following wood movement rules."
