State Government set to net $5m in fines from emergency ‘zero tolerance’ fruit fly crackdown, sparked by Loxton outbreak
Fees tied to a crackdown on fruit flies will bring in an expected $5 million for the State Government, but the scheme has been criticised for how it was run.
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- December 2018: Fruit fly outbreak detected in Loxton
- November 2019: Crackdown was called off nearly 500 times
A “zero tolerance” crackdown on fruit fly that included fines for people caught with fruit is set to net the State Government almost $5 million.
However, the scheme has come under criticism amid confusion over how the “emergency” response operated.
Mid Year Budget Review documents show Treasurer Rob Lucas is banking on a $4.9 million windfall from expiation fees linked to the crackdown this financial year. The estimate is based on results since the program started in January 2019, in urgent response to a Loxton outbreak.
Under the tough new regime, vehicles are stopped and searched at the Yamba Quarantine station in the Riverland, as well as random road blocks.
If caught with fruit, travellers face on-the-spot fines ranging from $375 to $100,000.
Log books taken at the station, obtained under Freedom of Information, have previously revealed a troubled start to the scheme, where confused motorists complained that signs could not be read.
That sparked complaints from people arriving at the quarantine station and wanting to forfeit fruit, only to be fined for bringing it into a secure area and not dumping it sooner.
Labor MP Blair Boyer said he was concerned the Government was “profiting from its own incompetence” and all revenues must be quarantined for biosecurity protection measures.
“The Government still can’t tell us how many people who fully intended on doing the right thing were fined because the signage and general implementation was so completely bungled,” Mr Boyer said.
Primary Industries and Regional Development Minister Tim Whetstone said the Government had significantly boosted spending in the battle against fruit fly, including $1.9 million to launch the zero tolerance crackdown, employing 14 extra staff.
A further $2 million was spent to upgrade road infrastructure at the quarantine station, after serious concerns were raised about long queues and possible collisions.
The Government insists that any confusion during early phases of the emergency response has been fixed.
Mr Whetstone said almost 14,000kg of prohibited fruit and vegetables had been seized in the 12 months since the crackdown begun, from a total of 7489 motorists.
“The State Government introduced zero tolerance as an emergency response ... and with unprecedented pressure on our borders from the horticultural pest,” he said.
The Budget documents state predictions on likely revenue from the fines in future years will be “informed by the level of expiations issued over the remainder of 2019-20”.