Stop fire ants now or face the cost forever

Fire ants are on the march and the cost of doing nothing is a future we can’t afford.

New data from the Australia Institute shows fire ants could cost Australian households a staggering $966 million a year. That’s 570,800 medical visits, 30 deaths, and over 400 pet fatalities every single year if we don’t take urgent action to stop them.

This is on top of a study that predicts population declines in about 45% of birds, 38% of mammals, 69% of reptiles, and 95% of frogs in South-East Queensland alone.

And that’s just the start.

We’ve seen this nightmare unfold overseas. In the United States, fire ants cause $10 billion in damages, cause human fatalities every year. The iconic Texas Horned Lizard is just one species severely impacted by fire ants.

They can’t eradicate them anymore – but we still have a chance.

This federal election is our opportunity to finally get decisive government action to tackle fire ants.

Will your local politicians step up to this challenge and champion urgent fire ant action?

We fought hard to secure $593 million for the fire ant fight, but it’s not enough to finish the job. Right now, no party has committed to the full funding needed to wipe fire ants out for good.

We need a $29.6 million boost next year for stronger suppression, community support, and public education – plus $378.56 million from 2027 to 2031 to finally eradicate fire ants.

The next 3 years will decide if species like the critically endangered plains wanderer and earless dragon survive – or if they are wiped out by fire ants.

We can’t afford to lose.

You can help us set the agenda by making sure all parties know the devastating cost of failing to act on fire ants.

We know the political parties are listening. But right now we still have no concrete funding commitment from any party contesting this election.

Sending a personalised email is one of the most powerful actions you can take. We know that when candidates receive emails from voters like you at election time, they pay attention. So please, send an email today.

Fire ants are on the march and the cost of doing nothing is a future we can’t afford.

New data from the Australia Institute shows fire ants could cost Australian households a staggering $966 million a year. That’s 570,800 medical visits, 30 deaths, and over 400 pet fatalities every single year if we don’t take urgent action to stop them.

This is on top of a study that predicts population declines in about 45% of birds, 38% of mammals, 69% of reptiles, and 95% of frogs in South-East Queensland alone.

And that’s just the start.

We’ve seen this nightmare unfold overseas. In the United States, fire ants cause $10 billion in damages, cause human fatalities every year. The iconic Texas Horned Lizard is just one species severely impacted by fire ants.

They can’t eradicate them anymore – but we still have a chance.

This federal election is our opportunity to finally get decisive government action to tackle fire ants.

Will your local politicians step up to this challenge and champion urgent fire ant action?

We fought hard to secure $593 million for the fire ant fight, but it’s not enough to finish the job. Right now, no party has committed to the full funding needed to wipe fire ants out for good.

We need a $29.6 million boost next year for stronger suppression, community support, and public education – plus $378.56 million from 2027 to 2031 to finally eradicate fire ants.

The next 3 years will decide if species like the critically endangered plains wanderer and earless dragon survive – or if they are wiped out by fire ants.

We can’t afford to lose.

You can help us set the agenda by making sure all parties know the devastating cost of failing to act on fire ants.

We know the political parties are listening. But right now we still have no concrete funding commitment from any party contesting this election.

Sending a personalised email is one of the most powerful actions you can take. We know that when candidates receive emails from voters like you at election time, they pay attention. So please, send an email today.

Email Your Federal Election Candidates in McPherson

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Subject:

As a constituent of McPherson, I am very concerned about the spread of fire ants across Queensland and their impact on our environment, economy and health. I am calling on the federal government to do everything possible to eradicate them.

The Australian Institute recently assessed that if fire ants continue to spread, each year McPherson will see:

- 49,082 people stung by fire ants,
- 3,681 people seeking medical attention for stings, 
- $368,118 in medical costs,
- $78,532 in epipen costs and
- $2,858,188 in pesticide costs to manage the invasive pest.

These numbers are of enormous concern.

In this cost of living crisis, the people of McPherson can't afford a future with fire ants. Therefore, I am calling for an injection of $29.6 million for stronger suppression, community support and public education – plus $378.56 million to fully fund eradication from 2027 to 2031.

This could be Australia's last chance to be fire ant-free.

We’ve seen this nightmare unfold overseas. In the United States, fire ants cause $7 billion in damages every year and have killed 85 people. They can’t eradicate them anymore –  but we still have a chance.

We can’t afford to lose.

I look forward to your response,

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