FAQs

The Gold Coast Biosecurity Plan 2025-2032 is being updated to ensure it remains current, practical and effective. Since the Plan was adopted in February 2025, updates to Queensland biosecurity legislation, changes to regulated invasive species listings, and new information from monitoring and reporting have highlighted opportunities to review parts of the Plan and ensure it continues to support effective biosecurity management across the Gold Coast.

This review updates parts of the existing Plan to reflect changes to Queensland biosecurity legislation, regulated invasive species listings, and information gathered through monitoring and reporting. The review confirmed that the overall direction of the Plan remains appropriate. As a result, the original 2025-2032 timeframe has been retained and the existing Plan has been updated rather than replaced.

We are required under Queensland biosecurity legislation to have a Biosecurity Plan. The Plan helps guide how regulated invasive plants and animals are managed across the Gold Coast. It supports coordinated action to reduce their impact on our natural environment, economy and way of life. The Plan also recognises that everyone has a role to play in managing biosecurity risks.

Biosecurity is a shared responsibility, and everyone has a role to play.

The Plan helps you understand which regulated invasive species occur on the Gold Coast, how they are managed, and what you can do to help prevent their spread.

Small actions can make a difference. Learning to identify regulated invasive species, reporting sightings and helping prevent the spread of invasive plants and animals can all contribute to protecting what we value.

Regulated invasive species are plants and animals that Queensland legislation requires to be managed because of the risks they can pose to the environment, economy, community, human health or animal health. 

The Gold Coast Biosecurity Plan focuses on these regulated species and how we can work together to manage their impacts. While many people use terms such as weeds and pests, not all of these species are regulated under Queensland biosecurity legislation.

Some invasive plants and animals found on the Gold Coast are not regulated under Queensland biosecurity legislation and are therefore not included in the Plan. This does not mean they are unimportant or have no impact. They may still be managed through other programs, policies, strategies or land management activities.

Invasive plants and animals can impact more than just individual properties. They can affect native plants and animals, waterways, beaches, parks, agricultural production and other places that are important to our community. Because invasive species can spread across property boundaries, managing them is a shared responsibility. Actions taken by residents, businesses and government can all help reduce biosecurity risks across the Gold Coast.

A management objective describes the most appropriate approach for managing a regulated invasive species across the Gold Coast. Different species require different management approaches depending on factors such as their impacts, where they occur and the likelihood of successful control. Management objectives help guide how species are managed across the city, they are not a measure of how important a species is.

Your feedback can help improve the updated Plan, how biosecurity information is shared with the community, how we support community participation, and which actions are likely to provide the greatest benefit for managing regulated invasive species on the Gold Coast.

Some elements of the updated Plan are determined by Queensland legislation and cannot be changed through this consultation. This includes:

• which species are regulated under Queensland biosecurity legislation
• legislative requirements under the Biosecurity Act 2014
• technical risk assessments used to inform management objectives.

Your feedback will help us understand community views on the proposed updates to the Gold Coast Biosecurity Plan 2025-2032. All feedback received during the consultation will be reviewed and considered before the updated Plan is finalised. A community engagement report summarising what we heard will be published on this page following consultation.

You can phone 1300 GOLDCOAST (1300 465 326) or 07 5629 5629, or report sightings online through:

• Report a problem – Animals
• Report a problem – Trees, plants and vegetation

Free citizen science apps such as iNaturalist and FeralScan can also help you identify species before making a report.

To report fire ants, visit National Fire Ant Eradication Program or phone 13 22 68.  

We are committed to monitoring implementation of the Gold Coast Biosecurity Plan 2025-2032 and will report on progress through Council's Lifestyle, Environment, Heritage and Resilience Committee. Reporting helps keep you informed about actions taken under the Plan and progress towards managing regulated invasive species across the Gold Coast.

View the latest implementation report presented to Council's Lifestyle, Environment, Heritage and Resilience Committee here.