Western Australia’s government has handed down its state budget, with biosecurity among the funding for agriculture
Limiting the spread of polyphagous shot-hole borer is among the agricultural projects to receive funding in Western Australia’s 2025-26 budget.
This follows a national decision to transition the biosecurity response to a management phase, after the National Management Group determined it was “no longer technically feasible” to completely eradicate shot-hole borer from WA.
A $26.5 million budget announcement is designed to focus on managing this invasive pest – which was first detected in WA in 2021 – with the aim of slowing its spread, limiting the impact on healthy trees and protecting the state’s horticulture industry.
“The WA community, our state’s biosecurity teams, and local government authorities have worked incredibly hard since 2021, and as a result we have a strong foundation to manage this pest going forward,” WA agriculture minister Jackie Jarvis says.
“These efforts and our strong, decisive action mean we have limited the spread of the shot-hole borer to the Perth metropolitan area, stopping the impact it could have had on our state’s horticultural sector.
“We will continue to look for alternative solutions by supporting local scientists to undertake more research under WA conditions.
“The more we can learn about this pest, the better equipped we will be to protect and support our state’s tree canopy and agricultural industry.”
Three new research projects to help limit the spread of shot-hole border will also be funded by $2.17 million in budget funding.
Other announcements in the state’s budget included $11 million for planning and development work for upgrades at Albany Port in the state’s south, which is hoped to increase grain export trade.
There was also $7 million towards two aerial strike teams to mitigate crop fire threats during grain harvest season, while $3 million will be spent towards improving marron habitats at dams in the state’s south-west.