Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington has welcomed new measures from the Crisafulli Government to strengthen cattle tick management and support local producers, including the appointment of a dedicated Biosecurity Inspector based in Kingaroy.

The improvements follow an independent review of Queensland’s cattle tick management system, which identified opportunities to strengthen surveillance, compliance, communications and governance while confirming the current framework is operationally effective.

Key measures include:

• A dedicated Biosecurity Inspector based in Kingaroy as part of three new inspector positions across Queensland.
• An increase in treatment subsidies from 10 per cent to 25 per cent for eligible producers in the cattle tick free zone.
• Greater access to restricted places register information to help producers manage local risk while protecting privacy.
• Improvements to the Accredited Certifier model to strengthen consistency and integrity.
• Increased surveillance and stronger compliance targeting high-risk cattle movements.
• Continued investment in research and innovation, including improved diagnostic testing and future vaccine research.

Ms Frecklington said the changes reflected the Government’s commitment to supporting Queensland’s beef industry and protecting producers from cattle tick risks.

“We’ve listened to the concerns of graziers on both sides of the tick line and responded with practical measures that strengthen biosecurity, improve support for producers and build confidence in the system.

“The appointment of a dedicated Biosecurity Inspector in Kingaroy is a significant boost for local producers and demonstrates our commitment to protecting one of the South Burnett’s most important industries.

“The overwhelming majority of producers do the right thing every day. We’ll continue backing them, while ensuring Biosecurity Queensland has the tools it needs to protect the wider industry.”

Minister for Primary Industries Tony Perrett said the Crisafulli Government understands what graziers need to get on with the job of producing world class beef.

“What became clear from the Taroom outbreak is that erosion integrity in the cattle tick management system and a breakdown in trust that took root and flourished under the former Labor government’s decade of decline,” Minister Perrett said.

“The integrity of the tick line must be maintained which is why I have moved to strengthen it with more boots on the ground, greater transparency, more surveillance, faster investigation and response times, greater support for producers and a stronger compliance approach to protect Queensland’s cattle industry.”

For further information on cattle tick zones and movement requirements, visit Cattle tick zones and movement requirements | Business Queensland.