I provide an update to the House about mosquito management in Liverpool. Many would remember that last year south-west Sydney dealt with a mosquito outbreak. As many who live along the banks of the Georges River or near Chipping Norton Lake would know, mosquitoes are commonplace as the weather warms up. There are dozens of mosquito species. However, last year saw an increase in the sheer number and range of mosquitoes. This was, at least in part, because of the growth of frogbit weed in oxidation ponds at Sydney Water's recycling plant in Warwick Farm. This weed provided an ideal breeding ground for mosquito larvae. Because of frogbit's classification under the Biosecurity Act, Sydney Water was required to undertake a complicated process to remove the weed from the ponds. However, following the designation of the site as a breeding ground for mosquitoes, Sydney Water mobilised quickly to remove all the weed from the pond in the space of a few weeks.
During that time, I was briefed daily by Sydney Water, as well as by various other government departments that treated their sites for mosquitoes. That allowed for full transparency with the public about the actions that the Government was taking to mitigate the issue. I said at that time in this place that there will be time for an honest assessment of all the factors that led to the outbreak and space to talk about the ongoing actions required to prevent an outbreak of this degree from happening again. I am advised by Sydney Water that, as a longer term measure, they will be engaging licensed contractors to monitor vegetation in the ponds, and to continually treat and remove it to prevent any future frogbit infestation. In doing that, the breeding ground for mosquitoes will be removed. This is in line with NSW Health's pathology advice.
At the local level, I am glad to see that my Liverpool Labor colleagues—councillors Sam Karnib and Ethan Monaghan—have been successful in moving and passing a motion to re-implement the mosquito management plan that was previously put in place under Mayor Wendy Waller in September 2019. As reported in theLiverpool Leader, in response to questions posed by Councillor Dr Betty Green, it was found that Liverpool council had failed to allocate funds to the mosquito management plan in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 financial years. This was due to the financial department at Liverpool Council believing the $30,000 in funding endorsed by council in 2019 was a one-year only allocation.
In those financial years, the team responsible for the delivery of the plan sourced funds from other maintenance teams to cover ongoing costs, which led to fewer sprayings of target areas and identified mosquito breeding grounds. When a specific budget line item was restored to the plan for the 2022-23 financial year, that funding was nearly halved to $18,000 and $20,000 in the 2023-24 financial year. Thanks to the work of councillors Karnib and Monaghan, Liverpool council has now allocated $50,000 per year to properly fund mosquito management on council-managed lands. Liverpool council approved that budget variation in accordance with that motion.
It is not just governments that are making sure to implement preventative measures. I am advised that Transurban has investigated and treated sites on its lands. With changes to localised weather patterns, it is important that we actively monitor and look at this event as an example of how weather can influence local ecosystems and public health. Climate change is likely to expand the range of habitable environments for many species of mosquitoes, and while most mosquito species that live around the Georges River do not carry disease, some do pose a risk to human health. We must remain committed to long-term preventative measures to mitigate that risk.
For those interested in mosquito management around our city—I know many in Liverpool are—I cannot speak highly enough of Associate Professor Cameron Webb, who was the mosquito expert onsite monitoring the response to the outbreak at the Liverpool water recycling plant and regularly posts updates on mosquitoes and the wetlands around Sydney that they are found in. I am also pleased to report to the House that, contrary to some exaggerated claims, Christmas was not cancelled and did go ahead.
It was a great relief to all, I am sure. I put on record my sincere thanks and appreciation to Minister Rose Jackson, the staff at Sydney Water and other agencies, including the Department of Education, for their responsiveness in relation to the outbreak and the treatment of affected sites and their prompt action to ensure that the outbreak within our community was contained. The community appreciates the timeliness and responsiveness of their actions.
