Patrick Gorman (Perth, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

Western Australia has a new enemy. This one is not political, it does not play sport and, like a submarine, it is very hard to detect. This new enemy is the polyphagous shot hole borer. More and more Western Australians are learning what a massive biosecurity risk this beetle from South-East Asia is to Australia.

This invasive beetle is just two millimetres long and it's on a rampage from Fremantle to Perth and a number of suburbs in between. This borer infects trees with a fungus which stops trees being able to transfer water and nutrients. Already I'm seeing in my electorate trees in people's backyards being chopped to the ground. In Hyde Park, a loved Perth park in the middle of our city, we're looking at some hundreds of trees being removed. Sadly, Kings Park and its trees that have outlived the Bond Corporation, trees that were here before colour television, trees that have provided shade for family picnics for decades is also on the chopping block.

What we know now is that some 400 plants can host this beetle. Some 100 are reproductive hosts and, sadly, 28 are Australian native species. It was first detected in Fremantle in August 2021 and, since October 2022, there has been a National Management Group plan. It is clear that we cannot be complacent on this, and that our community has to act fast. I'm a measured person who dislikes alarmists, but this borer beetle is a pandemic for Western Australia's trees. And, as hard as it is, I support the actions to remove the infested trees. Indeed, we need the state and local governments to move as fast as possible. There is not a day to waste. I will very happily get my chainsaw out if I need to, because without swift action WA faces massive economic disruption.

In California, the cost of this beetle is estimated at some $15.9 billion. That's enough to build 16 brand new hospitals. I've raised our community's concerns with local, state and federal government representatives because we need more action to stop this pest. If we don't our local parks turn to dust bowls, the WA agriculture sector shrinks and we see trees dying in our local streets.

There is, however, a little bit of hope and action we can take. To protect our agricultural sector, there is already a ban on wood movement outside the Perth metropolitan area. Residents are also being asked to learn to identify this bug. Thankfully, some of our smartest researchers at the University of Western Australia and the CSIRO are looking at what new treatment options are available. I wish them every success. Fast action and a community response now is the only way to ensure that Perth's tree canopy is there for the next generation of Western Australians and that this invasive beetle does not affect the rest of Australia.

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