State budget: Biosecurity Qld staff up 66.4 per cent but funding falls

However, BQ will have to dig deep to accommodate a 66.5pc staffing explosion in the year ahead.

According to the budget papers released on June 11, BQ had budgeted for 626 full-time staff equivalent (FTE) positions in 2023-24, but has actually finished the year with 789, and is budgeting to jump to 1314 in the 2024-25 financial year.

That's a 110pc increase on the staffing numbers budgeted for a year ago, and 66.5pc more than it has at the moment.

BQ began the 2023-24 financial year with an operating budget of $151,196m but finishes the period with an actual spend estimated to be around $317,475m.

However, despite expecting to hire two thirds more staff in 2024-25, BQ has been allocated $299,246m less to spend than the current 12 month period - a cut of 5.7pc.

A footnote in the paper noted BQ the budget blowout was due to increases for the National Fire Ant Eradication Program, stronger dog laws implementation and strengthening the department's leadership across Queensland's and Australia's biosecurity systems, and a redistribution of corporate FTEs.

The budget papers also revealed the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries would, "continue to deliver the NFAEP, in collaboration with the Fire Ant Suppression Taskforce."

It revealed NFAEP "delivered effective treatment of 299,000 unique hectares, contributing to achieve a greater than 99 per cent confidence that fire ant nests have been destroyed from the identified areas."

Mr Dick's budget also revealed $6.5 million over four years and $1.6 million per annum ongoing would be allocated for "stronger enforcement and evidence related initiatives to improve biosecurity leadership, including prosecutorial, enforcement, investigative and intelligence capabilities."

But according to AgForce CEO Michael Guerin, the BQ funding is "hugely concerning,' as if the 2023-24 budget had such an increase then the 2024-25 budget should reflect this.

Mr Guerin said considering the enormous concerns of growers and graziers across the state about the impacts of invasive species, he felt the state government was showing their disinterest in the agricultural industries.

"It's been hard to find much to like about the state budget when it comes to agriculture, especially seeing the decrease in the budget for Biosecurity Queensland," he said.

"As we need to keep up the control of invasive pests such as red imported fire ants and fall armyworm and ensure lumpy skin disease which affects cattle never makes it to Australia.

"The challenges of invasive species and diseases are real threats if they arrive here and will massively cost Queensland such as shown by the lack of control of RIFA which was massively underestimated and underinvested and now there's enormous costs in trying to manage it."

Mr Guerin said Mr Dick was also not using available funds to boost the state's agricultural communities and industries.

"What I could see of the treasurer making a big song of dance about our state's net debt to revenue being the lowest in Australia but no interest in using the balance sheet to further assist the agriculture industry.

However, Agriculture minister Mark Furner said primary producers could be assured biosecurity was a critical part of the budget.

"Biosecurity remains a key priority for the Miles government and I'm pleased that the state budget locks in more funding to address some of our most serious biosecurity threats," he said.

"The additional biosecurity funding in the budget will boost frontline staff numbers in the fight against fire ants and to help implement the stronger dangerous dog laws we have passed to protect Queenslanders.

"Producers can be assured we're doing all we can in the fight against fire ants, with effective treatment of almost 300,000ha achieving a greater than 99 per cent confidence that fire ant nests have been destroyed from those identified areas.

"There is $6.5 million over four years and $1.6 million ongoing annually to strengthen our capability across Queensland's and Australia's biosecurity systems, including enforcement, investigation and prosecution functions.

"We also have $2.4 million in additional funding over three years for the collective action to manage Varroa destructor."

Premier Steven Miles said agriculture was one of Queensland's economic pillars, "which is why we stand shoulder to shoulder with our producers," he said.

Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Tony Perrett said any reduction in BQ funding was unacceptable.

"At a time Queensland has never faced more severe biosecurity risks, a reduction in funding is just unfathomable," he said.

"Labor's Treasurer has claimed he is 'bolstering our frontline to protect against biosecurity threats', yet the funding in the budget papers prove otherwise."

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