FAQs

Biosecurity refers to the controls and actions taken to manage the risk of invasive species and diseases entering, establishing, or spreading within an area. 

A biosecurity plan outlines threats that are unique to a place (property, facility or local government area) and identifies reasonable and practical controls on how those threats will be managed. 

Biosecurity risk is the risk that exists when you deal with invasive species or something that they can be moved on or in. ‘Dealing with’ includes moving or keeping an invasive plant or animal, or potential carriers including animals, plants, soil and equipment. For example an animal with invasive plant seeds on its coat. 

Risk owners are anyone responsible for preventing or minimising risks posed by invasive plants and animals. 

Biosecurity matter is:

• any living thing, except humans or parts of humans
• a disease
• a contaminant
• a pathogen that can cause disease in:
  • any living thing, except humans
  • humans, if the pathogen is transmitted from animals to humans

Under Queensland’s Biosecurity Act 2014 the term ‘invasive biosecurity matter’ refers to specific invasive plants and animals that the City is responsible for managing on our own land and guiding management across all other land tenures.

Biosecurity is everybody’s responsibility. The Plan’s vision is that ‘Everyone accepts responsibility to protect our vibrant lifestyle and naturally unique environment from invasive plants and animals’.

As one of Australia's most biodiverse cities, we need to protect our spectacular ecosystems by taking action to reduce invasive plant and animal impacts.

Did you know...? 

• Our city boasts 161 kilometres of waterways, more than 2,000 parks covering approximately 16,474 hectares and 4,524 hectares of World Heritage Gondwana rainforests.
• Invasive plants and animals pose a risk to human health, social amenity environment and economy.
• As the custodian of the Plan, the City of Gold Coast (the City) recognises that success of the Plan relies on collective action, with all risk owners and supporting organizations understanding and committing to their responsibilities.
• The Plan’s ‘10 in 8’ is a target goal to rid the city of all known infestations of 10 invasive species within 8 years.

The Biosecurity Act 2014 requires those whose activities create biosecurity risk to reduce the risk by:

• Taking reasonable and practical steps to prevent or minimise each biosecurity risk.
• Minimising the likelihood of the risk causing a significant problem for human health, social amenity, the economy or the environment, and if it happens limiting the consequences.
• Preventing or minimising the bad effects the risk could have and stop from doing anything that might worsen the bad effects.