Jackie Jarvis blasts Liberals for false shot-hole borer claims, as Shire of Harvey apologises

Agriculture Minister Jackie Jarvis has blasted the Liberal party for amplifying incorrect claims the shot-hole borer had invaded the South West after the Shire of Harvey apologised for confusing the pest with the European House Borer. Harvey Shire president Michelle Campbell at the weekend claimed the beetle had been found in trees in Myalup, 39km from Bunbury — a find that would have posed a significant threat to the region’s fruit-growing trees. But on Monday, a Shire spokesperson apologised and confirmed the beetle was in fact, the European House Borer, which poses a much less serious risk and his been in WA for decades. “We are relieved to report that the European House Borer, while still requiring management, poses different risks that are more manageable within our region,” they said. “We apologise for any confusion or concern this may have caused.” The shot-hole borer — for which there is no pesticide and no cure — has led to the removal of 3000 trees in two years, but has not been detected outside of metropolitan Perth. Ms Jarvis said Monday that the false claims had been amplified by the Opposition, despite her informing them the beetle was not detected in the South West. “This all started on Saturday night when the wannabe Liberal leader, Basil Zempilas, made a social media post in all caps saying the shot-hole borer had been found in Harvey,” she said referring to the City of Perth lord mayor, who is also the candidate for Churchlands and a Seven West employee. “Libby Mettam, the actual leader of the Liberal Party, then had no choice but to follow up with her own social media post, also falsely claiming that the shot hole borer had been found in Harvey.” The minister said she had contacted the shadow agriculture minister — Nationals MP Colin de Grussa — on Sunday, but that Mr Zempilas’ and Ms Mettam’s social media posts were still up 24 hours later. “Biosecurity should be a matter of bipartisan support, and I’m incredibly disappointed that the Liberal Party chose to politicise this important matter,” she said. Ms Mettam posted on Facebook on Sunday that the later-to-be-debunked report was “devastating” and showed the Premier had been “too slow” to act, while Mr Zempilas wrote it proved the State’s response had been “totally lacking urgency”. The Liberal leader, who removed the post on Monday afternoon, said she acknowledged the reports had been incorrect and said the borer not being found in Harvey was “good news”. “This does not change the fact that the Cook Labor Government’s response to the shot hole borer has been totally lacklustre and inadequate, and it could only be a matter of time before it is detected in the South West,” Ms Mettam said. “Local Governments across Perth have been crying out for more assistance to deal with this for months. “Jackie Jarvis is out of her depth, and she has allowed a biosecurity disaster to develop in WA, which could cause billions of dollars to our agricultural industries, while changing the face of Perth forever – I will not apologise for standing up for WA’s interests.” The Lord Mayor updated his post to acknowledge the beetle had not been found. Ms Jarvis stood by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development for its communications surrounding the reporting — saying staff worked hard on Saturday to confirm the source of the rumour after receiving media inquiries. She also defended Shire staff and blamed councillors “who are Liberal party candidates” for spreading the misinformation. Incorrect reports of the shot hole borer in the South West came hours after the Government had announced $7.2 million to plant new trees in Perth to replace those that had to be removed because of the beetle. Ms Jarvis suggested this was no coincidence. “I think the timing of this is interesting — that the rumour was first brought to my attention only one hour after we announced more than $7 million to replant trees for the shot hole borer,” she said.