Toowoomba Regional Council begins 2021-22 Biosecurity Surveillance Program

Property inspections across the Toowoomba region will begin this month on properties to confirm the presence, and extent, of invasive plants and animals.

Invasive plant Opuntia monacantha, commonly known as drooping prickly pear.

Toowoomba Regional Council will this month begin property inspections as part of their 2021-22 Biosecurity Surveillance Program.

With the entire TRC area included in the surveillance program, the council’s parks and recreation services portfolio leader Tim McMahon said priority areas had been identified.

Locations including Googa Creek, Emu Creek, Highgrove, Doctor Creek, Mount Darry, Greenwood, Kelvinhaugh, Wainui, Formartin, Wellcamp, Umbiram, Wyreema, Millmerran and Clontarf had been identified for purposes of confirming the presence and extent of invasive biosecurity matter.

Priority surveillance areas for TRC's Biosecurity Surveillance Program.

“The 12-month program covers Council’s legislative requirements to monitor compliance with the Biosecurity Act 2014 (the Act) that ensures the management of prohibited and restricted biosecurity matter, or more broadly, invasive plants and animals,” Mr McMahon said.

“Individual properties across the region will be selected for compliance monitoring based on the observable presence of invasive biosecurity matter or as a result of a complaint raised with council.

“A majority of properties, 70 per cent or greater, within the identified priority surveillance localities listed above will be inspected to confirm the presence and extent of invasive biosecurity matter.

“In addition, all properties that are inspected for this purpose will be monitored for compliance.

“Council will make every effort to contact a property owner or occupier to gain their permission to enter the site if it’s necessary to inspect the property.”

Mr McMahon said all property owners had a legal obligation to take reasonable and practical measures to minimise biosecurity risk.

He said the council’s biosecurity plan defined TRC’s critical function in administering the Biosecurity Act 2014 at a local government level.

“The plan also aims to embrace a scalable approach to biosecurity management that can equally apply from the paddock and property through to locality, regional, state or national scale,” Mr McMahon said.

“The plan seeks to raise public awareness of invasive plants and animals to increase the capacity and willingness of individuals to manage invasive species and participate in their control.”

For more information, please visit www.tr.qld.gov.au/pestmanagementplan

Landholders can contact TRC’s Biosecurity Compliance team on 131 872 or visit www.daf.qld.gov.au for more information.