A south-east Queensland business has been fined approximately $1,200 for breaching a biosecurity zone by sending a pallet of second-hand bricks infested with fire ants to a mine site in the Bowen Basin in mid-2025. The fire ants subsequently spread to four other coal mines, prompting a helicopter baiting program that cost $1 million.
The National Fire Ant Eradication Program, which declined to name the business, stated the bricks are crushed on mine sites and used as road-base material. Several fire ant nests were initially detected and destroyed at the Broadmeadow Mine near Moranbah in July 2025.
Between December 2025 and June 2026, helicopters dropped fire ant baits four times over remote parts of Central Queensland mine sites as part of a broader eradication effort involving sniffer dogs and limited ground patrols. The business involved is under a biosecurity order with strict conditions aimed at preventing further spread while allowing it to continue operations.
In Queensland, penalties for failing to comply with biosecurity obligations can include up to three years' imprisonment or fines reaching $500,000. National Fire Ant Eradication Program director of aerial operations Greg Judkins noted the program is operating within the limitations of current legislation.
Reece Pianta, advocacy director at the Invasive Species Council, highlighted the disparity between the fine and the eradication costs, emphasizing the broader financial impact of biosecurity breaches. Pianta also reminded that fire ants first breached Australia’s biosecurity 25 years ago and that infestations could reach critical mass before becoming visible on grazing properties.
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